


Steak and Cake

by Kroissant



Series: Felannie Works [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: C-A+ support are important in the story, Comedic fluff, F/M, Indirect confession, Post-Timeskip, Pre-Timeskip, Romantic Fluff, Steak and Cake song is important, annette and her school crush, chaotic couple, felix falls in love first, fluff overload, friends/comrades turned to lovers, indirect sequel to Happy Grace, mentions of dedue/mercedes, mentions of dimitri/marianne, mentions of sylvain/ingrid, slowburn romance, some scenes came from personal gameplay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2020-08-14 17:08:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 35,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20195737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kroissant/pseuds/Kroissant
Summary: The great and mighty Felix Hugo Fraldarius, who swung his blade to countless enemies and demonic beasts, conquering the battlefields, and surviving every last one of them…had reached his downfall.And who could’ve thought—that his unforeseen defeat was the result of a young woman, with bright orange hair and beautiful, luxurious smile, coming into his life and cause mishaps…both figuratively and literally.





	1. Prologue - His Question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! This is Kroissant!
> 
> I'm back from vacation and I have so many things to write and post here. With the recent release of Three Houses, I've noticed a growing amount of supporters for a certain pair--Felix/Annette. I've read some of the leaks beforehand, only their supports and I'm just...OH MY GOODNESS, I LOVE THESE TWO! AND JUST LIKE THAT, I WAS DETERMINED TO WRITE ANOTHER FANFIC OF THEM, ASAP!
> 
> Thus, this wonderful chronicle was born!
> 
> Originally, this fanfic was supposed to be one whole chapter with 10,000+ words (that's right, I'm not even kidding! I'm so excited to show you guys what's in store!) and so, I thought it over and came to a compromise--I'll make the chapters shorter in order to make the pacing flow--keep in mind, unlike the other fanfics I've written, each chapter are intermingling and short like a vignette, and there would be times when a POV would switch from Felix or Annette, and so forth.
> 
> With this information, I hope I was able to clarify some things--that way, you won't be confused with the general outline as follows:
> 
> the prologue is present, the majority of the next chapters will take you back to the very beginning during the days of Garreg Monastry, and would continue after the post-time skip, then the epilogue would return to the present where a certain question would finally be answered to the audience.
> 
> For anyone interested, the indirect sequel to this story is Happy Grace (but even if you didn't read it, that's okay too)--and as of today, I would be posting two parts of this fanfic at least once a day so prepare yourselves!
> 
> Allow me to join in on the wagon and as the first one to have written about them, I'm proud to be able to expand a little more about these two characters--especially now that we have canon backgrounds/interests/supports about them!
> 
> That's all for now!
> 
> Enjoy the prologue!

* * *

Felix got down on one knee.

Disregarding the burning sensation across his cheeks, he raised his head to lock eyes with his redhead childhood friend who shot him an intense gaze, along with a slight jerk of his head to emit an encouraging nod.

It was now or never.

With an exasperated sigh, Felix made no hesitation to pull out the small, black box he secretly stashed inside one of the pockets of his blueberry-winter coat and clearing his throat quite a few times, locked his sights back to the older man and as he opened his mouth, proceeded to release the content of the box—revealing a shiny, silver ring.

“Will you…marry me?”

“YES, YES!” Sylvain suddenly cried, jumping up and down as he frantically waved his strong arms up and down. “THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!” Flashing a large smile, he resorted to slapping the swordsman harshly on the back, who was quick to retort with a disapproving scowl.

Once he managed to calm down, Sylvain motioned his head to face his childhood friend, planting his hands on his hips as he flashed a toothy smile. “Now, with a bit more practice and applying confidence in that fractured voice of yours, you’ll be all set and raring to go!” As he said those words, his eyes lit up. “Oh, and don’t forget to include a speech!”

Rising to his feet, Felix brought his gloved hand to ruffle the tufts of his ponytail. “Speech?” He echoed, frowning deeply. “Are you telling me that there are more steps to this damn proposal?” When he received a firm nod from the latter, all he could do was shake his head in dismay. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Sylvain gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry man, but rules are rules,” He defended, followed by a light chuckle. “If you wanna woe your ladylove tenfold, then you’re gonna have to follow my instructions accordingly,” Lifting his right arm, he gave the swordsman a thumbs up and another one of his signature smiles. “But never fear, big brother Sylvain’s here!”

Felix gave him a blank stare.

When Sylvain caught on to this, all he could do was release a laugh. “Come on, don’t give me that look!” He exclaimed, “You know I’m just pulling your leg,”

The dark-haired man sighed heavily. He crossed his arms over his chest and averted his gaze the other way, blocking the presence of the redhead male who seemed to be a bit too preoccupied trying to educate him of the endless rules and regulations concerning a successful marriage proposal.

Now that he thought about it, this exhaustive proposition was pretty much his fault, to begin with.

Making his way over to the opposite side of his office, he plopped himself on the couch and craned his neck upwards to stare at the ceiling.

Closing his eyes shut for a few brief moments, Felix allowed himself to reflect on his memories, pondering over, for the umpteenth time, of what led to his ultimate decision to purchase such an expensive silver band.

* * *

Since the end of the war, everything was pretty much the same—lackluster and boring to an extreme extent. And it didn’t help whenever his friends, Sylvain especially, would drop by without notice. Nowadays, the main topics of their conversations would be martial commitment.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of his team were happily married with examples like Sylvain and Ingrid, who were quick to tie the knot once the final battle was over and peace reigned throughout the kingdom. By the end of this month, they were already expecting their firstborn in less than five months.

Mercedes was always around Dedue—and similar to the previous pair, they too settled down and devoted their time and efforts to restore the glory of Duscur. Thanks to the immense support of the new king, they managed to rebuild schools in the Duscur region to educate the people, as well as becoming the co-founders of the first few orphanages in the entire kingdom.

Even Dimitri—the one who frequently agonizes over a hundred lives he’d killed, and the blood-soaked in his hands, was eventually smitten by one of the female students who transferred late during their school days, her name…Marianne, was it?

As odd as it sounded, with Dimitri being quite prone to breaking fragile objects and Marianne often apologizing for no reason, somehow…the two of them fit together.

In the next coming weeks, they were to be wed, and through Sylvain’s suggestion and Gilbert’s recommendations, the engaged couple would be hosting two ceremonies—both private and public, with the former quite pivotal as it would greatly boost the morale the citizens of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.

Although Ashe was currently engrossed with his newfound responsibilities as a royal knight, there were times when Felix would find the young man purchasing flowers and excusing himself from their regular meetings, venturing off to who knows where.

Next was Professor Byleth, who chose not to commit herself with any romantic partners and instead, dedicated herself to the efforts of reestablishing peace and prosperity throughout the continent of Fódlan—and with the guidance of Seteth, Catherine, Shamir, and the other knights of Seiros, their mission to restore balance was slowly coming into fruition. Aside from attending their monthly conferences in the royal palace, their former instructor was mostly cooped up in her own office and ensuring that the future of Garreg Mach Monastery would remain intact for the next generation to come—as expected of the next successor of Archbishop Rhea.

Then, there was him—single, and successfully dodging the many marriage proposals sent his way. Of course, the majority were derived from men and women of high nobility, simply viewing him as nothing more than another chance to advance their status and wealth.

The final battle between the Adrestian Empire and the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus ended approximately half a year ago, and since then, Felix remained the secluded, lone wolf—as it should be.

…Or so he thought.

For the first time since he was a child, he found himself at a disadvantage.

The great and mighty Felix Hugo Fraldarius, who swung his blade to countless enemies and demonic beasts, conquering the battlefields, and surviving every last one of them…had reached his downfall.

And who could’ve thought—that his unforeseen defeat was the result of a young woman, with bright orange hair and beautiful, luxurious smile, coming into his life and cause mishaps…both figuratively and literally.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> If you can, please show some support with kudos/comments! It grants me strength!
> 
> Once you have finished reading this part of the fanfic, I would like to inform you that in a few minutes, I would be already posting the next chapter of the chronicle as we speak.
> 
> Again, keep in mind of the order--prologue is present, chapters are flashbacks and experiences, and epilogue is returning to the present
> 
> That's all for now! Have a wonderful day!


	2. The Lone Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! This is Kroissant again!
> 
> Just wanted to drop in--and post the second chapter of the fanfic!
> 
> Here, we have a chapter centering around Felix and his blossoming feelings--and would continue afterward in the next chapter (this is only part one). That being said, I believe the title of this chapter is already self-explanatory.
> 
> That's all for now!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Annette Fantine Dominic—the only daughter to the royal knight, Gilbert, whom served Dimitri and the Blaiddyd family for nearly forty years, and one who bears the minor Crest of Dominique…a bubbly, cheery, and industrious woman with a strong affinity to faith, reason, and thanks to her family bloodline, has the prowess to operate one of the ancient relics from the Ten Elites, which so happened to be a large, and terrifying axe.

Back in the days of Garreg Mach Monastery, Annette was usually off the radar, spending her free time hanging out with her best friend Mercedes, volunteering in the kitchen, and excelling well in her studies to the point of obsession—a teacher’s pet, as what others may nickname her as.

She was diligent, a social butterfly, someone who always brings out the best in people, and was always ready to partake on challenges, no matter how dangerous it may be—traits which Felix secretly admired her for.

And when he managed to build up the courage to start up a conversation with her, it quickly backfired for him—as he happened to have accidentally stumbled inside the greenhouse, somehow lured in by her singing. Hoping to ease the misunderstanding, Felix attempted to compliment on her footwork and vocals…which unfortunately, upset the poor girl as she went on a frenzy, exclaiming how evil he was and after dropping the water can on the ground, fled the scene without thinking…leaving him to fulfill her assigned duty…and without realizing, was softly humming the tune of her song.

It struck him like lightning, for some reason.

He didn’t know why but he was genuinely interested to hear more of it.

As luck would have it, they crossed paths again…with Annette suddenly barging into his dorm, unannounced, and pleading for him to erase her silly songs in his head, going on about how she was even willing to go as far as to do his assigned chores for the next coming weeks. To his surprise, Felix caught himself teasing her, as he retaliated back by claiming how he already knows the lyrics by heart and wouldn’t dare to get rid of them.

Once again, the poor girl bolted off into the halls before he could run after her.

There he stood, alone in his vacant room, frustrated by how complicated she was.

…That curiosity sparked something in him.

He wanted to know more of her.

And so, whenever classes came to an end, Felix made sure to remain in his seat for a few more minutes, pretending to rearrange his textbooks to eavesdrop on her conversation with her best friend Mercedes, and each time he learned that she was tasked to do cooking, go on stable duty, pull out weeds in the yard, watering the plants in the greenhouse, or study in the library—the swordsman would make a mental note to himself to follow her during those times once he was done visiting the training grounds…carried by a poor excuse to listen to her sing again.

For almost two weeks, Felix did exactly just that.

And every time he did so, his plans would fail, and he would find himself returning to his dorm, aggravated for wasting up his time, how he should’ve been more productive with his schedule—challenging their Professor for another round of sword fighting to better hone his skills for the frontlines, not chase after some dumb girl.

And when he finally concluded that tomorrow would be the last time, he’ll be following her, as luck would have it—he heard it again, her radiant voice and her silly songs.

It happened when he was idly passing through the kitchen, leaning on one of the pillars as he waited for either Sylvain or Ingrid to come and join him for lunch. The second his back touched the wooden surface of the pillar, his ears picked up a familiar, cheery voice.

Ever so quietly, the swordsman sneaked over to the entrance which led to the kitchen, and through the cracks of the door, he saw her—the tiny girl was paired together with Professor Byleth, and from the looks of it, were cooking up quite the storm.

From a distance, Felix watched his housemate perform her cute, little dance, and as she went on to cut the vegetables on the chopping board, felt his heart skip a bit when she sang loudly and harmoniously, without a care in the world.

He could tell he wasn’t the only one captivated by her songs as he shifted his eyes to glance at their Professor—her usual bland expression slowly softening and smiling as she nodded along with her student’s singing.

When the cafeteria bell resonated in the large dining room, Felix flinched in his spot. Recovering quickly, he forced himself to walk away and return to where he originally stood. Five minutes passed and Sylvain entered the scene with Ingrid pitching his left ear in annoyance, the comedic pair approaching their younger childhood friend and apologizing for their lateness.

Not that he minded at all—and for the rest of the day, with Felix dining together with his friends and later on, challenging them two-versus-one in the training grounds, he couldn’t seem to shake off the song about steak and cake from his head.

There was something truly magical about Annette’s singing.

And Felix was determined to find out.

* * *

Their days at the Monastery was coming to an end.

Along with it, came a series of twists and turns—starting from the abrupt invasion of the Adrestian Empire, to the missing Archbishop, as well as the mysterious absence of their beloved Professor, the members of the Blue Lions had no choice but to depart to their homes, with Dimitri and Dedue heading straight for the capital of Fhirdiad with Mercedes, Ashe, and Annette, while the trio: Sylvain, Ingrid, and Felix respectively, returned to their domains—to House Gautier, House Galatea, and House Fraldarius where they were welcomed in by their parents, life-long servants, and knights.

For a certain swordsman, his daily routines were tedious and mundane.

Practice swordsmanship through drills, attend conferences with his father, participate in missions to defend and protect the neighboring towns and hamlets against the invasion of bandits.

More practice drills.

More conferences.

More missions.

Repeat.

Drill.

Conference.

Mission.

Repeat.

And Felix would keep going, until he could no longer feel his arms and legs, collapsing on the dirty cemented ground in the midst of sparring, and despite his protests, his father put him on house arrest and ordered guards to keep him in check, where in the next consecutive days, the poor dark-haired young man remained in his room to recuperate.

During those painful times, when he wanted to block the world around him, his mind would drift elsewhere—to the place where he felt open to be himself, the place where he and his childhood friends attended and were eventually picked to be recruited into the Blue Lions—and there, he met an odd girl who sang silly songs…

“Steak and cake…” Felix mumbled to himself as he gazed at the ceiling with furrowed eyebrows.

No matter how much he would try to deny it, there was no doubt that that song saved him countless times…mostly due to boredom or whenever he found himself needing to clear his head from the disgusting information sent from the royal palace, under the control of Cornelia, regarding the missing whereabouts of the lost prince.

Five years later and his memories of Garreg Mach Monastery were slowly dwindling. His pastimes training vigorously in the training grounds, his assignments from their Professor, the frequent visits to the greenhouse to water the plants, the constant arguments he’d startup with the ‘boar’ and his ‘pet’, the internal struggle he would experience among the members whenever he was forced to team up with…he was forgetting everything.

The faces of the people, the locations of the Monastery he still knew by heart, and the major events leading up to the present time of warfare—thankfully, they remained.

Never once, did he found himself neglect the steak and cake song.

* * *

The reunion of the Blue Lions was intriguing, to say the least.

After receiving intel from Gilbert concerning the site of Dimitri, Sylvain and Ingrid were quick to drag the swordsman into the battlefield and to their shock and delight, were welcomed with the sudden appearance of their Professor, who didn’t seem to age a day at all.

As luck would have it, Dimitri was there…and for Felix, his warnings of the prince going feral indeed came true. He was cold and bitter, refusing to allow anyone to approach him unless they were to notify him of the status of the Adrestian Empire, most prominently a certain Emperor who he was itching to behead and place it on a pedestal for all to see.

Deep down, Felix couldn’t bear to see his old friend like this. But what’s done is done. If he denied assistance, so be it. There were more things to focus on besides him anyway (and other than that, at least he, Ingrid, and Sylvain agreed to take turns checking up on the prince every once in a while, who locked himself away inside the ruined cathedral).

As the oldest of the eight original members, Mercedes, despite donning the most changes in terms of physical appearance with her long, wavy hair replaced with a short bob covered by a brown hat and veil, and with her outfit resembling that of a traveling nun, managed to retain her air of maturity and beauty.

There was Ashe, who grew considerably taller, became more confident in his abilities, donning his signature blue coat to express his undying loyalty to Faerghus, and to Felix’s surprise, was merely a few inches away from his own.

Last but not least, there was dear, sweet Annette.

There were no words to describe her. For one thing, she truly became an eyecatcher, both physical and personality-wise…and there were times when Sylvain, Ashe, and even Felix himself would find themselves drawn to her.

Nevertheless, she was still the same upbeat, and cheery oddball they knew and loved.

For Felix, he secretly thanked his lucky stars to have found her again.

* * *

Following the reunion, there was more work to be done.

Most importantly, there was a lot to catch-up.

The first thing that registered in Felix’s head was to search for her—for the beautiful woman with bright orange hair and infectious smile. Whenever he successfully located her, standing near the small pond or outside the greenhouse, grinning away as she stared off into the distance in a dream-like state, he would rush over to the staircase, where he’ll be standing near the edge of the balcony and look at her, awestruck.

The distance between them was great, and yet, Felix couldn’t help but muster a tiny smile of his own. His heart would be pounding thunderously against his chest, but he chose to ignore it.

No matter what, he was determined to hear her singing again—the same one that enchanted him five years ago.

* * *

Exiting out of the Cardinals’ room, Felix wandered through the narrow halls, his eyes trained in on the staircase, dead-set on making his way toward the training grounds to hone his skills before dusk. But as he angled his body to the right, close to where the library was, his eyes slowly widened, and he abruptly paused midway in his tracks.

Blinking his eyes, the swordsman retraced his steps and popped his head through one of the open doors. On the left side of the library was none other than Annette, cleaning and rearranging the books on the shelves.

And she was singing with her eyes closed, twirling a little and laughing merrily.

Felix’s heart skipped a beat.

Wasting no time, he entered the library and as he was close to approaching her, had accidentally scared her in the process. What came next was her immensely blushing, waving her arms hysterically for having been caught in the act.

For some reason, Felix didn’t seem to mind at all.

In fact, he secretly loved the sight of her like this.

Her bright, cerulean eyes were near twice the size, which added to her charm.

Her baby-face, completely rosy from the embarrassment, was quite entertaining to see.

Then, there was her voice.

Angelic, and alluring.

Felix wanted to hear more of it.

Growing hopeful, he initiated the conversation—he wanted to know more about this new song she was chanting.

Startled by this, Annette was quick to retort…but eventually, surrendered at the very last minute.

Once more, the empty library was filled with her singing. The young woman danced around, slightly swaying her hips and moving her arms around as if she was conducting magic. But everything about her—the way how her eyes sparkled, her beaming face, and her little dance…was simply magical.

Felix couldn’t take his eyes off her.

He stood there, keenly listening, fixated on permanently remembering this new song of hers.

Something was bubbling inside his stomach…it was warm, and inviting, just like her.

When she finally stopped, the swordsman wore a look of disappointment.

He wanted to hear more.

Moving forward, he wasted no time on questioning her about the made-up lyrics, particularly the part at the end of what might become of the library after the explosion, Annette shook her head, covered her face with her gloved hands, exclaimed how embarrassing it was to continue, and resorted to fleeing away…until an unknown force took hold of her wrist, pulling her back.

On high-alert, Annette motioned her head to face the swordsman. Locking eyes with his, she blushed harder.

For a few split seconds, Felix’s stern expression transitioned to that of a child—his amber eyes solely glued on her and her only, his thin lips curving downwards, his eyebrows pinched together—he was pouting.

“F-Felix?”

“Sing again,” He brought up, his voice noticeably soft and pleading. “I want to hear it.”

The young woman snuck a peek at her wrist, which was tied down by his firm grip, and as she slowly lifted her chin to look back at him, found herself cornered in place. She swallowed thickly. “No, that’s enough for today,” She reasoned, shaking her head. “It’s way too embarrassing for me to continue,”

“Annette—”

“I'm sorry!” Annette apologized, wriggling her wrist from his grip. “I do think that’s enough for today!”

That look in her eyes…he was hurting her.

Frowning, Felix slightly nodded, and it took all the strength he could muster to let go of her.

She left him behind, her light footsteps echoing through the narrow halls.

Alone to himself, Felix inhaled a sharp breath. Lowering his head, he gazed at the hand, the same one he used to touch her small wrist…his fingers were still tingling. His heart was still pounding. But the warm sensation inside him had vanished

Her smiles, her laughter, her little dancing, her singing…her voice—Annette was gone, and he hated it.

Bringing his hand to the handle of his blade, he unconsciously tightened his grip on it and clenched his teeth. After so long of patiently waiting and finally reuniting with her, yearning to hear more of her voice, became too far from his reach.

And alone he stood—a lone wolf, as it should be…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of the second chapter!
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading! If you can, please show your support through kudos/comments down below! They grant me strength!
> 
> Looking forward to hearing more about what you guys think of this!
> 
> That being said, I believe it's time to call it a day! As promised, this fanfic would be updated tomorrow--two parts as usual! And man, with two down, there's more to go and publish! I can't wait to see how you'll react to all of this!
> 
> That's all for now!  
Have a wonderful day!


	3. Respite and Sunlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, this is Kroissant!
> 
> I just want to say--WOW! Thank you so much for the tremendous support! I didn't realize how popular this pairing is, and with that said, I'll do my best to deliver as much content as I can for the next upcoming days!
> 
> After posting the next chapter later today (will be posted in a few hours), I'll have to reduce my posts from two to one in order to keep up with my current writing.
> 
> The title of this chapter comes from the soundtrack which I believe surprisingly fits the theme for this particular chapter.
> 
> That's all for now!  
Enjoy reading!

* * *

The day came when his father, Lord Rodrigue met his demise.

How ironic, for a man who was known far and wide to be the ‘Shield of Faerghus,'was unable to protect himself from an incoming attack by the enemy. And as much as Felix refused to mourn for his old man, here he was…dismissing himself from training, sulking during one of the weekly conferences and unable to concentrate, and when nightfall came, refused to let anybody enter his room.

Sylvain and Ingrid were the first to drop by and console him, the pair coming together to embrace their old friend and grieving for the deceased warrior who they saw as their second father figure. It lifted his spirits a little bit, but not enough to help him get out from his depressed state.

Next, Professor came in, knocking on his door for permission and when he allowed the older woman to come through, was surprised to find her apologizing for not being strong enough to save his father.

At the same time, Dimitri followed after and would repeat the same gesture, finally sober and aware.

Later, Mercedes and Ashe arrived with a plate full of baked sweets to give him, and though the swordsman utterly despised the taste of anything sugary sweet…just for today, it became an exception.

By the end of the day, Felix was showered with an abundance of gifts—a range of weapons, armor, books, and many more from the former students they managed to recruit along the way, including Dedue whom they managed to rescue in the midst of mid-battle as they attempted to conquer the great Bridge of Myrddin.

And then there was Annette, the last to appear from their original group.

“What are you doing up so late?” He pestered her, crossing his arms with a disapproval look, “We’ve got a battle to partake tomorrow,”

Annette mustered a soft smile. "I know," She replied and jerked her chin to the direction of his room. "May I at least come in?"

Sighing, Felix stepped to the side, opening the door for her. With a smile, she thanked him and quietly strolled inside and as he shut the door with the heel of his boot, she paused in the middle of the room, taking a moment to marvel at the new environment around her. After a good minute, she peeked over her shoulder and cast a glance at him.

In return, Felix stared back.

Taking note of this, Annette blushed, quickly averting her head.

A moment of silence ensued.

“I’m…so sorry about what happened to Lord Rodrigue,” Annette began, bowing her head as she settled herself down on the nearby chair, gripping tightly on the silver tray of food with both hands. “It must be difficult to stomach everything, especially with what’s been going on lately…”

“It’s not your fault,” Felix assured her, leaning back against the door and looking elsewhere. “It’s nobody’s fault nor mine. The old man did what he had to do, protecting the lives of the people…” As the memory of his father’s kind smile resurfaced from the back of his head, the swordsman clicked his tongue and as he turned his head to face her, took notice of the tray she currently held, “What’s that you’ve got there?”

Annette blinked. “Oh, you mean this?” Upon receiving a nod from the latter, she emitted a forceful smile. “It’s for you!”

Felix remained passive, choosing to ignore the loud thumping inside his chest. “…For me?”

Again, Annette nodded. “Uh-huh!” Rising from her chair, she placed the tray on the surface of his study desk and slowly removed the handkerchief—revealing a plate of savory steak and piece of cake.

"I made sure to cook the meat with western spices since I remembered how much you enjoyed eating spicy food…" Annette began to explain, blushing. "And as for the cake, Lysithea pitched in and gave me her non-sweet recipe, that way you could eat it,"

Hearing this, Felix meekly nodded. He crinkled his lips, producing a tiny smile. “…Thanks,”

Annette widened her grin. “Anytime!”

Another quick exchange of glances, and another moment of awkward silence.

“I…should get going,” Annette spoke up, darting her finger to the exit as she shuffled her feet. “After you’re done eating, be sure to bring back the tray to the kitchen, okay?” With another bow of her head and a gracious smile, she advanced for the door and with each passing step, she could feel her heart beginning to crack. For a tiny second, she wanted him to stop her, ask her to stay for a little while or maybe, ask her to sing for—

Chills ran down her spine as soon as she felt the familiar grip around her wrist. Stopping midway, the young woman turned her head to properly face the poker-faced swordsman.

“Felix?”

No response.

Worried, she called out his name again.

“Can you…sing for me?”

Her chest tightened, blood racing up her neck to warm her cheeks. There it was.

Processing his words, Annette became flustered. “O-oh—umm…sure,” Swallowing thickly, she scrambled to collect her thoughts together, forcing another smile on her face as she asked, “What kind of song would you like to hear?”

Felix muttered a few words lowly under his breath…and unfortunately, it wasn’t loud enough for the poor woman to hear.

“Could you speak a little louder for me?” She wondered, “I didn’t hear you—”

“The first song I heard you sing,” He confirmed, his fractured voice soft and quiet.

The moment his words escaped his throat, the dark-haired man was quick to reinforce a frown, hoping to suppress the smile that was beginning to materialize. It didn’t even seem to help with how rowdy his heart was—(hell, it was practically thrashing in his chest) or how scorching hot the room had gotten since she entered. “…If that’s okay with you,” He dared to sneak a glance at her, and when he did, was blown away by the sight of her bright smile.

“Sure thing!” Annette answered; her face as equally red as his. “If it makes you feel better, why not?”

With an exchange of a nod, Felix slowly released his grip on her, the slight tingling sensation on his fingers resurfacing every now and then. When he looked up to face her, his cheeks turned crimson as she rewarded him with another sweet smile.

“Steak and cake, it is then,”

And just like that, the heavyweight on his shoulders dissipated…and it was all thanks to her.

* * *

The mission to rescue Marianne in the foggy forest, infested with demonic beasts, was an experience Felix would never forget.

Under the instructions of Professor Byleth, the swordsman naturally teamed up with Sylvain and Ingrid, who took to the skies with their wyvern and pegasi to ward off nearby winged-mounted enemies while he stayed on the solid ground, obliterating the demonic beasts with critical hits to forge a path for the others.

Those who could conjure magic or wield bows were given orders to hide within the depths of the forests, where they would be protected by the terrain. Despite the advantage, there were times when their plan would lead to nowhere, and quite frequently, Professor Byleth was forced to regroup them again in a secluded area to rethink their battle tactics.

…As usual, Felix was the one tasked with the job of exterminating the big boss. But when Professor Byleth insisted that it was too dangerous for him to go alone, it was Annette who volunteered to aid him…which resulted to where they were right now, fighting side by side against their main objective—the Wandering Beast.

For the first time, Felix felt inferior of his swordsmanship. Yes, he could still perform critical hits formidably, but it wasn’t enough to get rid of the enemy entirely.

Aside from Annette and Mercedes, the others were too far away to come in and provide them with assistance. Even Ashe, who was known to be their secret weapon as he could perform combat arts from the sidelines, was unable to successfully target with effortless strife, missing his shots each time it was his turn to shine. Professor Byleth, Ingrid, and Sylvain were too preoccupied trying to reduce the number of demonic beasts who were surrounding poor Marianne, with Dimitri, Dorothea, and Rafael leading the charge head-on.

Everybody was counting on him to be victorious and for once, such possibility became an afterthought. As if she heard him, Annette stepped up to the plate, and after granting him with more strength and resistance with her rally, did the unpredictable—she sprinted forward, wearing a courageous mask to face death.

“ANNETTE!”

It was already too late.

Releasing a thunderous howl, the Wandering Beast raised its claws on the young woman, ready to demolish her at any moment. In a fit of anger, Felix dove into the fray, unsheathing his blade and ready to perform another critical hit. A familiar gust of wind passed through and before he knew it, a humongous tornado encircled around him, including their enemy.

“FELIX, NOW!”

That was his call.

While the Wandering Beast was distracted, Felix seized the opportunity to direct his assault and with all his might, bellowed a battle cry with a few swings of his blade—combined together with the strong force of the gales from Annette.

It was done.

The Wandering Beast became momentarily still.

A scampering of footsteps was heard nearby, a strong implication of their team fast-approaching.

Once everybody arrived at the scene of the crime with Professor Byleth, Dimitri, Marianne, and the others approaching the large corpse of their enemy, searching for any indicator of its pulse, it was Felix and Mercedes who were quick to rush over to Annette, who was scrawled on the earthly soil, breathing heavily with her arm tightly clutching on her lower abdomen, in an attempt to cover her bloody wound.

“Annette!” Mercedes exclaimed, close to the verge of tears as she dropped to her knees to inspect her best friend. “Please, hold on!” Closing her hands together, the older woman recited a small prayer to summon a healing circle around the fallen.

Motioning her head to her left, she discovered the swordsman crouching to his knees, reaching out to take ahold of Annette's hand...yet stopped himself at the nick of time, pulled back as he enclosed them into whitened fists. But what shocked her the most was how sorrowful his gaze was, a complete three-sixty from his usually stoic face, with his narrow, amber eyes directed solely on the bright, orange-haired woman who already submitted to her slumber.

“…You’re such an idiot, you know that?” Felix mumbled, loud enough for Mercedes to hear. His fractured voice, normally demanding and on edge, had softened to a certain degree…and for a moment, he sounded genuinely vulnerable, scared even for her best friend’s life. When the latter didn’t respond, Felix drew in a sharp breath as he raked through his hair, conflicted with his emotions on the spot.

Smiling, Mercedes reached out to plant a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it fiercely. She watched as he quickly shot his head up, his eyes widening and his cheeks adorned with a sprinkle of pink, as he was caught by the act for expressing a sign of weakness.

No words were exchanged between them, but with one smile and a slight nod, the ashen-haired woman and the swordsman came to a neutral agreement.

…The following week, their bubbly mage was back on her feet, healed of her wounds, and ready to fight once more—unaware that the whole time she was unconscious, a certain dark-haired man had spared some of his free time to visit her in the infirmary, purchasing some flowers on the vase closest to where she laid, check up on her and stayed a bit longer until after hours to remain by her side, humming the tune of her silly songs before heading back to his room—with nobody else except for Mercedes, who became the first to acknowledge his secret feelings.

* * *

Thanks to the battle of the Wandering Beast, the atmosphere of their team changed. For starters, the great loss of resources and the many wounds inflicted on her students pressured Professor Byleth to be more creative with her battle tactics, inviting some of her colleagues such as Seteth, Catherine, and Shamir to contribute.

The Blue Lions, in particular, became overdriven with willpower, and for the next few weeks, would head straight for the training grounds after meetings or from the dining room to continue with their practice drills. Since then, there seems to be no shortage of candidates eager to prove themselves in combat.

But there was Felix. Unlike the others, the mission triggered an opposite effect for him.

In truth, the experience and trauma of nearly losing his comrades—losing her, shook him to the core. A series of memories flashed at every turn—with the familiar faces of his older brother Glenn and his father, would haunt him in his wake. He couldn't risk losing anyone again, as all he had left was his name, his poor excuse of an Uncle, and his entitlement as the next heir of House Fraldarius.

Then again, he'll be lying if he said that there was wasn't a positive thing about this and it was in regards to his secret admiration for the bright, orange-haired woman.

Ever since he witnessed her courageous feat in battle, as much as he wanted to loathed how utterly ridiculous and plain stupid it was for her to do that, it only seemed to fuel his interest on her. Yes, Felix was aware of her stubborn and picky nature, always striving her best but he could never forget the mass destruction she could pull off on her own—with the snap of her fingers, she could eliminate hundreds of enemies in less than five minutes.

It took one frightening battle, and for her to be severely wounded and close to knocking on heaven’s door for him to finally come into terms of his infatuation with her.

When Felix wanted to clear his mind off of war and stress, his thoughts would automatically go to her and her singing, and that little dance he adored so much.

She was refreshing and jubilant, full of life—the epitome of the sun.

Her smiles, her laughter, her dances, her singing, her beauty, how klutzy she could be, her passion for cooking and cleaning, her unyielding resilience, and how quickly she could turn into a monster in the battlefield while at the same time, retaining that adorable charm of hers—Felix couldn’t get enough of her.

And not once did he find anything negative in her bones.

Such a thought terrified him.

How could one person—a girl, of all people—could take his attention away from his devotion to swordsmanship?

Whatever the reason was, one thing was certain—Annette was definitely special.

* * *

One cloudy afternoon, Felix found her alone in the greenhouse, watering the plants by her lonesome.

Unlike most times, where he’ll be hiding behind one of the pillars, waiting patiently to hear her sing, he took up the liberty to approach her.

To his embarrassment, Annette was quick to accuse him of hiding, and when he openly admitted that he wasn’t, she didn’t buy his excuse.

“You don’t have a real reason, do you?”

The intense pounding in his chest was infuriating, and it didn’t help that his body was beginning to heat up. “No, I don’t,” He confirmed to her, followed by the shake of his head.

Annette frowned. "Then why…" As she trailed off, the swordsman beat her to the punch.

“Because of you,” Felix suddenly proclaimed, and he could’ve sworn his voice went high-pitched.

“What?” Annette exclaimed, startled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Dipping his chin, Felix veered his gaze to the ground to avoid her stare. “I want you to sing for me,” He blurted out, though made sure that his low, fractured voice was loud enough for her to hear. He needed her to listen to what he wanted to say, and as he braced himself to continue, did his best to sound as cool and composed as possible. “I hear your voice when I’m asleep, or in battle…”

It was true—there were times when he’ll find himself staying up all night, humming her silly tunes to himself, or whenever he needed a boost of encouragement during one of his practice drills, even when he took showers or consume his meals, all he needed to do was remember her little dance and angelic voice, and that was enough for him to keep going through the day.

Slowly but surely, her silly songs were becoming his form of good luck charm—no, at this point, one could already call it a daily necessity.

“It’s like…” Felix chewed on his bottom lip, mentally kicking himself for not preparing his speech sooner. Frustrated with his limited choice of words, resorted with the first thing that came into his mind. “…It’s like I’m your captive!”

“My captive?”

…Crap.

“What are you saying?” Annette cried aloud, blushing. “Oh my, I’m suddenly really flustered,”

"I can't help it…" Felix groaned, shuffling his feet awkwardly. He was this close to walking out of the door and bumping his head into a nearby wall for sounding like a buffoon, already regretting about not having to ask Sylvain sooner for advice…then again, knowing that skirt-chasing idiot, this whole situation could've gone worse.

“Ugh, I don’t know what I’m saying!” He added in; his face already flustered from how terrible his confession was already sounding. “Forget I said anything!”

Annette, on the other hand, saw through him. “Felix,” She began, and with a delightful giggle, leaned a bit closer and asked, “Hey, are you…blushing?”

“I don’t know,” Felix quickly retaliated, and once again, averted his sights to the random potted plants on his right. “Shut up.” He wanted to be firm with her, but from the way she sounded—it seems like she was teasing him. The corners of his lips curved upwards, producing a tiny smile. Her voice was already making his brain go haywire. “I’m not blushing.”

Oh, but he was.

And he knew.

But thanks to his pride, he couldn’t admit it.

“Umm…”

“Uh…”

Oh gods, just kill him now.

Clearing her throat, Annette clapped her hands together. “Well! If you feel like that about it…I suppose I could sing for you sometimes,” She babbled out, blushing. “If you’d like that sort of thing…”

Felix quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?” When he turned his head to face her and noticed how uncomfortable she looked, he wanted to kick himself. It was because of him, wasn’t it? “I’d better go,” He quickly told her with a crestfallen expression. “…Bye,” And as he twisted his heel and proceeded to stroll off, he heard her voice again, calling out to him.

“Hey, wait!” Annette cried, “You just got here….do you want to hear me sing or not?”

Hearing this, Felix was quick to angle his body around to properly face her. “Uh, yes!” He affirmed, raking through his hair as he tried to compose himself. His chest was tightly constricting him. “I do,”

“Well, what song do you want me to sing?” She offered, smiling sweetly. “Bears, swamp beasties, boxes, or dungeons?”

Her words were music to his ears. The last time he’d heard her sing was during the first few weeks of their reunion—almost four months, in fact. Such an opportunity like this was definitely something he wouldn’t dare to pass up. Even if that meant having to deduce his time to practice his training, just to listen to her…

“I’d like to hear all of them,” Felix told her, taking a step forward. “If you don’t mind. Starting with the library song, in full.” Tilting his head, he gave her a smile. “Sing for me,” He added, his voice noticeably softer than usual. “Please, Annette?”

Annette grinned in return. “Well…” She trailed off, giggling to herself. “Okay, just this once…” She collected her hands together, close to her chest. Before she could close her eyes and sing to her heart’s content, she snuck a peek at the swordsman who smiled back at her, along with an encouraging nod.

It was rare to see him like this, and even with that smile, he looked like a different person.

Her heart skipped a beat…oh, no.

Brushing aside her conflicted emotions, the young woman did her best to concentrate her energy on her performance.

For a long time now, there were a few people who were aware of her singing—her mother, uncle, her best friend Mercedes and with a few occasions during their school days, the former leader of the Golden Deer—Claude, but pretty much, that was it.

And now, here she was, with another person who was eager to listen to her—and it was the grumpy swordsman, Felix, of all people.

For some reason, she found it cute…for someone who’s always on edge and demanding, could suddenly turn soft and patient around her.

Thinking it over, Annette mustered a bitter smile and shook her head. No, he couldn’t possibly have romantic feelings for her, right? He’s simply a secret admirer of the arts, yeah that must be it! Besides, if he found out her small crush on him, there was bound to be trouble in the long run.

With that pushed aside, Annette opened her mouth and sang, filling the greenhouse with her radiance. As she continuously delivered her silly songs, knowing full well how this might be the only moment in time they’ll ever be as close and intimate as this, was oblivious of the effect she was having on the swordsman…and how the more she serenaded him, the deeper he was falling in love with her.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for the third chapter! Thank you so much for your tremendous support!
> 
> I would like to take the time to personally thank those who supported me with their kudos--thank you all for the following people:
> 
> Elfdragon12, mawaruunmei, geneee, flopyxing, dex (thanks for the comment!), ExplodingTyphlosions, Zeiskyte, KitKat_Star, and Chocolatesama (and for your comment!) and the current 21 guests!
> 
> That's all for now!  
See you in a few hours with a new chapter posted! (and as a reminder--once the second post is published, I'll resort to posting only one chapter at a time for consistent flow)
> 
> As always, have a wonderful day!


	4. Preserverence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This is Kroissant!
> 
> I would like to take the time to say thank you so much again for your tremendous support! As of now, I've received a whopping amount of 40 kudos! In a way, I can't help but feel driven to keep writing more content for you all!
> 
> In addition to this, I would like to point out that one scene from the previous chapter--the paralogue about the Wandering Beast, came from personal experience and what had happened was true: in order to defeat the main enemy, I used both Annette and Felix to eliminate it, and it somehow inspired me to integrate my conflicted feelings of nearly losing them into this fanfic.
> 
> This time, the chapter focuses on Annette's POV. The difference between her and Felix's written POV are drastically different--I purposely made Felix's POV description short and straightforward, and for Annette, very descriptive and more thought-provoking: to perfectly align well with their canon personalities/character in the game.
> 
> Okay, that's all for now!  
Let's start reading!  
Enjoy!

* * *

The final battle came to a close.

At long last, the Adrestian Empire was defeated—concluding the end of Emperor Edelgard's reign.

Regaining the rapport of his followers and the people of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, Dimitri was hailed as a savior and in the forthcoming weeks, was expected to ascend the throne as the next king, with the guidance of their former instructor, Byleth and the veteran knight, Gilbert in his stead.

Except for Dimitri, the other three childhood friends—Sylvain, Ingrid, and Felix were to return to their respective territories where they'll be mold into their leadership positions.

This left Annette, Mercedes, Ashe, and the others to partake in their agenda.

Unsurprisingly, Dedue followed after his milord, though it came later as quite the surprise when Mercedes came together with him, with her dream to help those in need aligning well with his of restoring his homeland, Duscur, and its former greatness.

Then came Ashe, who immediately went home, reuniting with his brother and sister, who were taken care of by the servants and knights prior to his absence. Words spread fast of his valiant efforts in joining their future king on his quest to defeat the late Emperor, and as a result, became widely celebrated as a hero far and wide, eventually earning the respected title as the next leader to control Gaspard Castle.

Finally, there was Annette, who moved back to the capital city of Fhirdiad, reuniting at long last with her mother and uncle who miraculously survived the invasion of the Adrestian Empire.

There, she remained in their family estate, making up for lost time with her loved ones.

Three months later, she was rewarded with a letter.

Thanks to her connection with Hanneman, a certified crest researcher, and her former instructor, Byleth, the bright woman was given a job to become a teacher in the School of Sorcery, the same place where she met her long-time best friend, Mercedes. The following day, she received another one…this time, with the crest symbol of Fraldarius, imprinted on the center of the envelope.

Right away, Annette opened the envelope in a hurry.

What she originally believed to be an official notice turned out to be an invitation by the grumpy swordsman himself, requesting for her assistance at House Fraldarius which was located on the northern region of the kingdom.

For the remainder of the day, poor Annette was cooped inside her room, pacing back and forth, at odds with her choices. Should she give in and enter the School of Sorcery to become a teacher, a dream she always aspired to achieve, or travel to House Fraldarius and assist the swordsman who's in dire need of her?

Cradling her head with both hands, the young woman threw herself on her bed and puffed her cheeks. "Why is this so freaking hard?" She groaned aloud, raking through her hair in a frenzy as she frantically shifted her eyes from one letter to the next.

Her answer should be laughably simple, right?

An image of the fine-looking dark-haired man with his usual scowl, and another one with him softly gazing at her resurfaced from the back of her mind.

Thinking about him made her head spin.

Lowering her hands and removing them from her head, she fixed her gaze on the second letter.

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

The following morning, with her suitcase, locked and loaded of her personal assortments—make-up, spare clothes, and the like.

Off she went, venturing to the public stables where she bid farewell to her mother, uncle, and even her father Gilbert, who encouraged her to write letters to them once she arrived at her destination. Agreeing to this, she went on ahead to purchase a ticket and after waiting patiently for her turn, managed to get a seat inside the carriage with other common-folks.

With the loud outburst of the driver, the deafening sounds from the flapping wings of six Pegasus pierced through her ears, and in less than thirty minutes, they soared to the open skies.

It took four hours to get there, but the time was well-spent in the end.

Annette stood at the large building before her, her dominant right-hand clutching tightly on the thin material of the letter, with her left possessing the handle of her suitcase.

Raising her arm, she peered at the address handwritten on the left-hand corner of the envelope before reverting at the sight of the large military gate.

"Relax, Annette," She assured lowly under her breath, followed by a deep breath in. "You got this!"

Full of vigor, the young woman wasted no time and knocked on the large doors.

A minute later, the entrance creaked open—revealing a tall, male gatekeeper with a lance in tow. "Name and purpose?" He asked in a flat tone.

"Annette Fantine Dominic," She introduced herself, and bringing her hand close to her chest, bowed her head respectfully. "I'm here to see—"

"My apologies Miss Dominic!" The gatekeeper interrupted, tipping his helmet to the side. Peeking over his shoulder, he instructed the other gatekeepers to raise the gate for her to enter. "Come inside and we'll have someone to escort you to the estate,"

Annette blinked. "Oh…uh, thank you,"

She entered through the door, and upon taking her first few steps, marveled at the sheer beauty of the bountiful landscape, with many fields of flowers and crops stretching far and beyond for miles. On her right was a large wooden stable full of winged-mounts and stallions, where she observed a few children, whom she recognized to be one of the refugees coming from Duscur roaming about and interacting with the animals.

On her left was a different story—young soldiers were practicing in the fields of the open training grounds, with some women wandering with piles of laundry in their baskets.

At the heart of this new world was the third-story, stone-themed fortress. For some reason, the dreary atmosphere of the building reminded her of a certain individual—then again, she did hear of rumors, especially from Ingrid concerning the Fraldarius family, and how they were known to struggle with expressing themselves on an emotional level.

"Miss Dominic,"

She flinched from her spot and as she craned her head the other way, sighed in relief when another male soldier came over to let her know that he'll be the one to personally escort her.

Thanking him with another bow of her head, the pair strolled off towards the manor.

While walking on the narrow path, Annette felt the intense stares from many of the bystanders, squeezing the handle of her suitcase harder when she took notice a group of women whispering to themselves. The clashing of swords and lances from behind had also come to a complete halt.

Was it really that strange for someone like her, an outsider and a native citizen of Fhirdiad, to be here?

At that moment, she was reminded of her days in the School of Sorcery, how unpleasant it was for her during her first few months there…and it wasn't until she had met her best friend, Mercedes, that everything changed for the better.

Frowning, Annette marched onwards with her head held high. This wasn't like her to be judging them so easily, not when she didn't have a chance to get to know them personally. Similar to what transpired on her first day of school, it was natural to feel tense and anxious about the whole ordeal.

"We're here," The soldier suddenly announced, catching her off-guard.

Slowly, she lifted her chin upwards. Her eyes twinkled, smiling brightly as she drank in the impressive view of the building up close. The tightness constricting her chest had disappeared, replaced with that of excitement.

So many windows to count, doors to open, rooms to discover…

And all she had to do was enter the main entrance.

On cue, the large doors of the manor opened wide, causing her to abruptly pause in her tracks. Much to her luck, she was welcomed with another crowd of people—male and female servants varying in age, elderly refugees from Duscur, with guards and soldiers stationed at almost every corridor or patrolling idly about.

The wandering eyes and intense air returned.

This time, Annette chose to ignore it—heaving in a deep breath and feeling brave, caught a young girl looking back at her and with a trace of a smile, raised her hand to perform a slight wave at their general direction.

To her luck, the little girl beamed and waved back to her, with her other hand pulling on the hem of her mother who simply nodded in response.

That small exchange alone was enough to make Annette feel stronger and confident, and before she knew it, already found herself beginning to warmly acknowledge each and every single individual in sight.

Some waved back, others smiled or tipped their helmets, though the majority of them were caught by surprise for her open cheeriness.

This included the soldier who was in charge of escorting her to his Lord's office was, and like his subordinates, was unable to process what was occurring.

Despite how trivial it was, Annette was able to break the tension between her and the people—their first impression of her was one of positive change, already comparing her to a breath of fresh air.

It was subtle—her friendly waves, bright smiles, eyes full of curiosity and her orange hair which shone like the sun—but that was all it took for them to be reeled in and all the more, captivated by her presence.

* * *

"How many windows are there?"

The soldier tipped his head, mulling the thought over. "Almost fifteen, I believe,"

Annette beamed. "And how many rooms?"

"About ten," He pressed on, "Lord Felix made sure that some of them were strictly assigned to his friends whenever they visit, or if guests like you would come by," He turned his head and faced the young woman, and when he saw her looking around with awe written on her face, he chuckled a bit. "I'm guessing this is your first time here?"

Annette blinked, looked at him and sheepishly grinned. "Is it really that obvious?"

When she gained a nod, she hung her head in defeat.

"It's okay, Miss Dominic," The soldier consoled her, "Rest-assured, nobody here is judging you. In fact, I could already tell from the way the others are reacting that they're probably as excited as you are,"

She sniffed. "You think so?"

The soldier firmly nodded.

Hearing this, Annette felt at ease.

Together, they walked further into the great hallway.

Angling his body to the left, a few steps in and the soldier halted in place. "Here we are," He announced, and gestured his hand to the door in front of them.

Annette squirms nervously in her spot, the anxious feeling bubbling inside her stomach already crawling back to bite her in the dust. Inhaling a deep breath, she shyly peeked at the door inches away from her, already ruminating through her thoughts about her next step to best approach this.

Now that he's officially the new leader of House Fraldarius, does this mean she should start addressing him formally with his newly-appointed title? Then again, they weren't particularly close…so would he be alright if she calls him by his surname?

For the umpteenth time that day, poor Annette was conflicted.

There were so many questions she wanted to get answered, and it didn't seem to help how despite her status as a noble, she didn't seem to have a grasp of the basic protocols—for example, making a perfect cup of tea or how to best approach others in a dignified way.

Noble or not, she chose to push these rules and regulations away in favor of wanting to be more like herself—and with her family being viewed as minor feudal lords dominating a small portion of land within the Holy Kingdom, thankfully, it allowed her to be more open and freer.

Adding on to the fact that her supposed responsibilities were granted toward her kind-hearted Uncle, for the most part, she was basically spared from a life of lavishness…something that most of her other classmates, her good friend Ingrid especially, was unable to escape from.

"Lord Felix!" The soldier exclaimed, startling her as he knocked on the door three times—one long, and two shorts. "Your guest has arrived!"

Annette blushed the second she heard her housemate's name.

That's right—in about a minute, she'll be seeing him again in the flesh.

She cracked a smile, only for it to disappear when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

Felix didn't exactly specify as to why he was in great need of her.

Her worries greatly heightened.

She gulped, her face turning tomato red as she reflected over their past interactions and remembered how strange he had acted around her before embarking on their final battle.

To calm her nerves, Annette inhaled another deep breath, closing her eyes as she attempted to regain control of her scattered thoughts.

"It's going to be okay," She assured herself lowly under her breath, shaping her gloved hands into fists. "He's not going to hurt you…"

It was true—Felix may appear and sound like an asshole, and…yeah, there were plenty of times when she couldn't stand him to the point of wanting to punch him in the face due to how painfully cynical, he was about his general view of the world…

But remove all these layers, take out the walls encasing him and what you'll discover is how these qualities are nothing more than a defense mechanism for him, and how his sardonic nature was thanks to his upbringing as a neglected spare in his household—something she later found out during one of her conversations with Mercedes, Ingrid, and even Sylvain.

A misunderstood boy, who deeply cares for his friends and family yet couldn't bring himself to express his feelings openly to them, haunted by his past endeavors for not being able to be strong enough to protect those he loved dearly.

Her perspective of Felix changed greatly over the years, and to this day, it never seemed to waver at all.

There was a reason why Annette ultimately decided to show up on his doorstep and this was it.

Like Mercedes and Ashe, she enjoyed helping those in need and when it came to the foul-mouthed swordsman, he was no exception to this rule.

The creaking sound of the door forced her to return to reality.

"I believe this is where we say goodbye," The soldier told her with a crinkle of a smile. He tipped his helmet at her direction, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Dominic," And off he went, back into the depths of the hallways…leaving her to her lonesome.

After a moment of silence, the orange-haired woman lifted her head and wore a brave mask. "Alright, Annette," She told herself, followed by a smile. "Let's get this show on the road,"

She entered the office, ready to greet the grumpy housemate, tackle and complete the tasks he would ask her to partake…but never in her wildest dreams would she find herself meeting up with another familiar face from the past.

* * *

"Annette! Long-time, no see!"

Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe it.

"…Sylvain?" was all she could utter.

The redhead male laughed, approaching her. "That's my name, isn't it?" He joked, and with his arm raised, resorted to playfully tousle her orange hair. "How'd you been?"

Returning to her senses, all Annette could do was shake her head. "I could say the same thing for you," She played along, emitting a light giggle.

"All's good," He replied, retreating a step back and planting his hands on his hips. "Just came by to visit good old Felix with good news," As he said those words, he motioned his head to the dark-haired swordsman in question, who simply stood far away from where they were, and in a typical Felix-fashion, had his arms folded over his chest with his gaze fixed elsewhere.

Annette blinked. "What good news?" She asked, getting interested.

Sylvain flashed her a large grin, and when she saw the light blush across his cheeks, she found herself beginning to piece the puzzle together…

She remembered the last time she saw Ingrid—it was over a month ago, around the time when she was on one of her morning strolls in the city. After bumping into her by chance, the two friends were quick to head to a nearby restaurant and from there, bombarded one another with what's been going on lately.

Hoping to spice things up, Annette was quick to change the topic of their conversation about potential romantic suitors…only to feel regretful when she remembered how stressful it was for the latter to talk about.

And then it happened.

For the first time, Ingrid was more open about the possibility of romance and when Annette started listing the names of those they knew—Dorothea, Dimitri (and when Felix slipped in, the mage laughed and did her best to retain the smile on her face)…but when they landed on Sylvain, the female knight turned completely still for the next two minutes.

Wait, does this mean—

"I'm getting married!" Sylvain cried, raising his arms above his head, followed by a dumb grin. "And it gets better!"

"Is it Ingrid?" Annette suddenly came in, interrupting his grand-reveal of his chosen bride.

The second she saw him blush furiously and his jaw dropped open, the young woman beamed brightly—she hit the jackpot.

"That's amazing!" She cried, rushing to his side and taking his hands with hers, began to bounce up and down. "Congratulations!"

Sylvain laughed jubilantly, and again, he patted her affectionately on the head. "Thanks, Annette,"

Wanting to know more details of how his proposal went and more importantly, Ingrid's reaction, Annette opened her mouth but her chance to voice them out was sadly interrupted by another voice.

"Having fun, I see,"

Recognizing the low, baritone voice, she was quick to avert her sights to the swordsman nearby and from the looks of it, was shooting a menacing glare over to his childhood friend.

She watched as the redhead scratched the back of his head, apologizing shortly after. "Forgot you were there Felix," He teased, though it didn't seem to please the latter one bit.

In response, the swordsman let out a light snort. And it wasn't long until she found herself making eye-contact with him. Her shoulders stiffened, her heart beating thunderously.

And then she saw it—that soft gaze.

The corners of his lips were slightly twitching as if it was trying to suppress something. Annette frowned—was he okay?

"Care to explain why you're here?"

Annette blinked once, then twice.

Wait, did he just—

"Don't tell me you've forgotten," She began, furrowing her eyebrows.

To her dismay, Felix flashed her a confused look. "Forgotten what?"

"The letter," She pressed on, taking out the folded envelope from her dress pocket and with her left arm raised, exposed the item for him and Sylvain to see. "You sent it to me yesterday," She pressed on, sounding peeved. "Talking about how you needed some help with some things,"

Felix sighed. "I really don't know what you're talking about," He admitted, raking through his hair. "I never wrote anything, much less a letter for you to come and—" He stopped himself from speaking any further.

He took a minute to think it over, his eyes gradually lengthened as realization dawned on him.

With a scowl, Felix swiftly eyed his childhood friend on his right, who was quick to turn his head the other way, his arms resting behind his head as he whistled away without a care.

Felix clicked his tongue. "Sylvain…"

Annette shifted her attention to the older male, her expression a perfect mix of fury and confusion.

"Okay, you caught me!" The redhead exclaimed, removing his arms from behind his head, only to raise them again in defense as he pleaded guilty.

"The hell's wrong with you?" Felix raised his voice.

"You better have a good explanation," Annette joined in, glowering fiercely at him.

Sylvain swallowed thickly. Nevertheless, he was quick to bring up his signature laidback smile, and clearing his throat, began to enlighten the pair of how exactly he came up with this justification.

He turned his head to face his childhood friend and mustered a forceful grin. "Alright, you wanna know why I did this?" And clearing his throat, began with, "It's 'cause every time I come here to hang out, you're always so busy," He opened his hand and using his fingers, counted the many activities the lone swordsman would do on a typical day. "You'll be training your knights, leading the charge on a mission you assigned for yourself, visit the royal palace to participate in our weekly conferences with Dimitri, do boring ass paperwork in your office…" He pondered it over, only to realize that that was basically it. "And the cycle repeats again!"

Felix frowned a little, followed by an exasperated sigh. The idiot's got a point there. "Why drag Annette into this?" He threw in, getting straight to the point.

Sylvain simply smiled. "I thought about it, and then I realized how great of an asset she would be if she's here, especially since…you lack in authority and all," He went on, glancing at the orange-haired woman who was intently listening to his explanation before reverting back to look at his brooding childhood friend.

The swordsman didn't buy it. "That still doesn't explain why—"

Sylvain snickered, catching him off-guard. And it got to the point of how unsettling it felt when he noticed the latter leaning a bit closer to him, but before he could shove him out of the way, he heard his words—"You should know by now what she does to you,"

The tips of his ears reddened, and Felix found himself unable to speak. He gave a side glance at the redhead who merely laughed and nudged him with his elbow.

"Thank me later,"

Felix gave him a death glare, and yet that was enough for Sylvain to counter back with a toothy grin.

Satisfied with what he said, the redhead male switched his focus back to the young orange-haired woman. Luckily for them, she didn't seem to hear nor decipher the meaning behind their unspoken language.

Sylvain snuck a peek at Felix, then at Annette, then back to Felix.

And then off he went, with a triumphant smile gracing across his features, though made sure to ruffle the young mage's head one more time. "It's up to you now, Annette," He encourages, though it only seemed to amplify her genuine curiosity to his hidden intentions.

Consumed with her thoughts, Annette slightly flinched when she heard a noise coming from behind her. Quickly, she peered over her shoulder, relieved to discover that the door was closed.

…And then it hit her.

Sylvain was gone from the picture.

Which leaves her alone, in the room together with—

She veered her eyes to the wooden floors, her hold tightening on the handle of her suitcase. She remained in place, contemplating over what she should do next.

"This is partially my fault," She started, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, stopping every now and then as she attempted to choose the best, possible words to approach the current situation they were in. "I should've written back instead of dropping in without warning," With her right hand, she rubbed the side of her left elbow, feeling a bit out of place. "If there's really no reason for me to stay here, I'll rearrange my schedule and—"

"There's no need for that," Felix cuts in, stepping forth. "You went through all the trouble to come here, without ever knowing that it was Sylvain who forced you into this mess," He raked through his hair, uttering a low curse under his breath.

Just like her, it was clear how irritated he was for not knowing this sooner—the two of them set up and becoming mere pawns in Sylvain's…well, knowing him, it was bound to be nerve-wracking. Insulting, even.

Annette massaged her temple, already regretting her choice to accept the invitation from the headmaster of the School of Sorcery.

"It pains me to say this, but the idiot was right about something," Felix suddenly spoke up, startling her.

She heard him and tilted her head to the side, hoping to get a better look at the swordsman from afar. Upon closer inspection, she took notice of his features—

—There were dark circles under his narrow, amber eyes while the complexion of his skin was abnormally a bit pale. Lastly, there was his unkempt hairstyle, which looked to be far worse than before.

Now that she thought about it, did he always looked like this—weary and drained of energy?

"It's true…that I could use the extra help around here,"

Even the sharp, and demanding tone in his fractured voice sounded a bit off…

Then again, this could be somehow connected to his new role as the leader of his family household.

To see him in a state like this…it pained her.

When was the last time he slept?

Was he eating properly?

Did he shower at all?

Annette turned silent, attempting to recall the description she'd read in the letter.

Now that she thought about it, the writer sounded like they were in dire need of something.

And by implementing Sylvain—who turned out to be the one responsible for the whole thing, into the equation…slowly, everything was starting to make sense.

This whole time—the answer to her question concerning her strange arrival at House Fraldarius was here all along, in the form of a letter.

Sylvain's concern on his childhood friend's health was a plea for help, a distress signal—and it was her, who responded to the call.

"He really is clever…" She said lowly, nodding to herself in agreement. Breathing in, she looked up and once more, took the time inspecting the lone swordsman on the opposite side of the office.

Albeit the minor details of his dreary transformation, it sort of reminded Annette of their soon-to-be crowned king, Dimitri.

It took every single member from the Blue Lions, her father Gilbert, Lord Rodrigue, and their former Professor Byleth to regain his senses and turn back into a normal, functioning human being.

But this time, all Felix had was her.

Feeling brave, Annette moved forward.

When he heard her footsteps, Felix craned his head a little to look at her.

The second they locked eyes, the pair was quick to turn the other way, their cheeks burning red in embarrassment.

Annette chewed on her bottom lip, mentally wanting to kick herself. No, not wasn't the time to act like this. She needed to be brave. Ignoring the burning sensation spreading on her cheeks, the young mage looked up to face him once more.

"Just say the word and I'll help you," She assured him, cracking a grin.

When Felix heard this, he was taken aback.

And when he looked up, he was rewarded with her smile…inside his stomach, the foreign feeling returned.

He offered her a small token of a smile, though was quick to cover it up with his gloved hand.

Thankfully for him, she wasn't able to catch it in time.

After another moment of silence, the swordsman eventually nodded his head. "…Alright then," He said and looked up to meet her gaze, for the fifth time that day. "I'll have to give you a tour around the estate, show you to your quarters, and…" As he rambled off, another trace of a grin slipped, and this time, Annette saw it.

She giggled, making a mental note of such a moment.

And as Felix continued explaining to her of all the different tasks she could do, she beamed, replying back with sheer enthusiasm.

* * *

Outside the office room, stood none other than the mastermind of their auspicious meeting, with his ear resting against the surface of the wood.

But he wasn't alone.

The other house servants, the guards and some knights, even the one who escorted Annette to the office room were there with him, huddled together as they attempted to keep quiet in hopes to listen to the conversation on the other side.

Satisfied with what he was hearing, the redhead withdrew from the door. He looked over his shoulder and met face with a few friendly faces that he knew since childhood.

It wasn't much of a surprise how all of them shared the same, knowing looks as he wore—and just like him, it was clear how they seemed quite excited for what was about to come.

Despite being opposites, there was something about Felix and Annette—their partnership, to be more precise. It screamed of many potentials, with Sylvain being the first to take advantage of this.

And who could've thought, that this whole time, the push they needed to come together was a letter?

Retreating away from the entrance of the office, Sylvain kept his eyes at the door, unable to contain the large smile emerging across his face. "Wait till Ingrid hears about this,"

Whatever comes out from this was bound to be something truly amazing.

And he was all for it.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for the fourth chapter!  
At this point, the plot really kicks in and in the next chapters, prepare yourselves! The invasion of Felix/Annette fluff comes in like a train! 
> 
> Also, I would like to take the time to express my gratitude to the new readers as follows:  
EvoSandwich, chicorine, Alleyca1, StarryNox, AegisOfTheDawn, AsobuLute, stickyyfingers, erenee228 and 2 more guests for their kudos! Thank you to dex and EvoSandwich for their comments as well! With this, it grants me more strength to keep writing!
> 
> As mentioned in the previous chapter, I've decided to post one chapter per day in order to manage the consistent flow and would also give me enough time to polish/edit/add more scenes for future chapters.
> 
> That's all for now!  
Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!


	5. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, this is Kroissant!
> 
> I would like to take a moment to apologize for my absence. Two days ago, something urgent came up and as a result, was unable to publish the new chapter as promised. The good news is that I'm finally back and raring to go! If you can, please mark your calendars as I would tell you the new sets of updates as follows:
> 
> in order to make the story consistently flows, I would be posting one chapter every two days (to allow me enough time to edit/delete/add any scenes)
> 
> The better the content, the happier you and I would be!
> 
> That's all for now!  
Enjoy reading!

* * *

The rest of the day flew by quickly, with Sylvain taking his leave, though not before letting them know he'll be coming over to visit in three months to check on their progress. With that said, he left in a hurry…leaving his childhood friend and the oblivious young woman alone with each other.

As promised, Felix educated his guest with the basic crash course and layout of his entire home, at the same time briefly explaining to her of its century-long history, predating to the times of his ancestors, the Great Hero Fraldarius, and Kyphon, one of the well-esteemed descendants to have ever graced the pages of their family's long esteemed genealogy.

"You can learn more of them by visiting the library," Felix suggested, without bothering to turn and look at her as he walked on ahead, his gloved hand situated idly on the handle of his decorative sword.

Annette bobbed her head. "And where is this library located?"

"Take the staircase to your right," Felix began to explain rather bluntly, and then pointed a finger over to where he was referring to, "When you get to the third floor, head straight down the halls and turn left. You won't miss it,"

Again, she nodded and furrowed her eyebrows, keeping a mental note of the new information she received. Her lips crinkled to a smile, already knowing where she'll be going during her spare time. So far, the tour kicked off fairly well and simple.

With Felix's office as their starting point, from there, they headed up to the second and third, where unlike the first, held fewer knights and servants within the area. More rooms to venture, and windows in plain sight, along with the mention of a secret stairway that would lead to the fortress's watchtower overlooking the entirety of the Fraldarius domain.

Despite how crunched the tour was—taking up nearly forty minutes at most to cover a majority of the public locations with a few details of what to know, it came quite a surprise for the young mage for how easy she was able to sink her toes into the new environment. On the other hand, the military fortress—which Felix called his home greatly reminded her quite a bit of the Monastery, minus the vast, open campus which took quite a long time for her to explore which often led to her getting lost numerous times or showing up late in class as a result.

Annette slightly swung her suitcase back and forth, lengthening the size of her grin. The anxious feeling she had felt before was no more and in its place, became one of sheer joy and anticipation. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all…

As she quietly followed after Felix, Annette noticed some of the patrolling knights and servants heading their way through the halls. From the corner of her eye, she noticed the swordsman acknowledging them with a curt of his nod, before resuming with his walk. When it was time for them to pass by her, Annette was quick to lift her right hand and with a small smile, started waving in their general direction.

This confused at first, staring wide-eyed at how bold she was to have greeted them in a friendly manner before hastily running off in a rush.

"What are you doing?"

Alarmed, the young woman peered up to discover the swordsman gazing down at her with a puzzled expression etched on his face.

"I'm waving," She casually replied, "Is there a problem?"

When she didn't receive a response from him, she frowned. "Why? Don't you do it?"

"Nobody else except my father does that," Felix answered, crossing his arms. "Don't try to act friendly around them. My word of advice—keep your distance away and you won't have to worry a single thing about anything,"

Processing his words, Annette tightened her grip on her suitcase. "Still, it doesn't hurt to at least show a bit of kindness," She counters back with a smile of her own, "When I was young, my mother used to tell me that strangers are just friends you've never met," As she said those words, she averted her gaze over to some of the knights and servants nearby who were listening in on their conversation and offered them another round of waves.

Felix watched from the background, unsurprised to find how most of the other staff members grew tense in their spots, except for some of the young squires who dared to copy after her.

Once they were out of their sight and had entered the lounge room, Felix glanced at the bubbly woman, who continued to smile brightly and wave at more of the other servants in the sidelines.

He rolled his eyes, followed by a huff.

A small trace of a small smile graced across his features and yet at the same time, did his best to retain his calm, collected posture if, by chance, the subordinates in his faction would come and go like the rest.

Even after all this time, it seems like she didn't change at all—still the same odd girl he knew and secretly admired.

Without realizing, he had quickened his pace and it wasn't until he heard her call out his name that he had abruptly paused in his tracks, peering over his shoulder as he allowed her to approach him, slowly closing the great distance between them and—

Frantic, Felix retreated a few steps backward, ensuring that there was still a safe, and appropriate space left to separate them.

"So, where to next?" She asked, her eyes bright and twinkling.

Felix thought it over, pursing his lips. "Next…should be the courtyard,"

Annette beamed. "Then what are we waiting for? Come on, lead the way!" She exclaimed, springing to her feet. "I want to see everything!"

There was a trace of a small smile on his lips, though it disappeared as quickly as he shook his head.

"Follow me then," And angled his body to the left, where there seems to be a staircase waiting for them. As he led the way, he became mindful of her presence. Before she arrived, Felix would roam the halls on his own, refusing to speak to any individual unless there was an order he needed them to take care of. Most of the time, he and the rest of the people here simply minded their own business and it remained like that since he was a babe.

But upon Annette's entrance, there came a sense of change.

And he could tell, from the way how the staff reacted, that this was the first time in a very long while that they were ever shown a hint of compassion from someone—an outsider to a certain extent, who wasn't afraid to express herself and treat them as her equals.

It was different.

A good kind of different.

With her around, there's a great possibility that she could turn House Fraldarius around—from a gloomy, hostile place to one teeming with life and joy, just like her.

* * *

Felix was a tough cookie to crack.

He was strong, both physically and emotionally and in a way, sort of explains the issue of his sardonic, callous nature.

Unlike his late father, Rodrigue, who was benevolent and approachable to those who served under him, Felix was different—he kept to himself, and there were times when he would get a bit too extreme over the principles of chivalry and knighthood.

His intimidating appearance and the fierce air of leadership he exuded was a major factor. The way he carried himself reminded Annette of their former Professor, Byleth—particularly when the Kingdom was engaging in a war against the Empire. It was eerily striking, how weirdly alike the two were at times—brilliant with swordsmanship, the unyielding hunger to do battle, and the grave expression they'd shared.

Additionally, Dimitri was a great comparison as the crown prince himself would tend to demonstrate his prowess, the influence of his authority both in the battlefield and in the Cardinals' room quite a sight to behold…then again, it seemed pretty natural for him to do so, as one would expect of an individual bearing the royal bloodline.

Unfortunately, the similarities ended there. While Professor Byleth was a natural leader, Felix was a novice, remembering how there would be times when he'd choose not to consider the unfortunate person assigned with him on one of their missions, preferring to do things alone and then running off, completely ignoring their protests.

The word problematic didn't seem to be enough to describe him overall.

Annette frowned as a memory of Sylvain resurfaced from the back of her mind.

She was here to complete a mission, a request as one may call it.

As she was willing to extend her hand out for him to take, it became quite a surprise for her when the swordsman agreed without a wink of a disagreement. It was a window of opportunity, one so rare that she couldn't simply pass up.

And as luck would have it, the mage loved challenges like this.

And no matter what happens, was determined to do whatever she can and could in her power to shape Felix into a great leader, even if it meant having to remain here a bit longer (with her limited time being six months) just to see her blood, sweat, and tears to come into fruition.

With the tour in progress, with Felix busy guiding her around and bestowing her with a bit of more information, Annette was already formulating twenty possible methods, guaranteed with a high percentage of success.

In a way, assisting the rude swordsman would help her fill the shoes of her dream career as a professor in the School of Sorcery—thankfully for her, the expiration for her decision was by the end of this year, enough time for her to get ready and prepare to mold into her promising teaching position.

With a tired smile, Annette looked over to her right where she spotted a nearby window. She paused in her spot, her mouth partly open. Without thinking, she ran ahead, her eyes gleaming with delight and going on her tiptoes, managed to catch the impressive transformation of the rich, golden skies convert into that of dusty purple and pink—marking the start of twilight.

"Wow…"

Too absorbed with the breath-taking view, the young mage failed to take notice of the swordsman who idly stood not too far away from her…nor did her ears seem to pick up on his approaching footsteps coming her way.

And when she did hear it, it was already too late.

Whipping her head around, Annette blushed as she discovered Felix in front of her with his arms crossed, his left eyebrow quirked upwards in question. At first glance, with how his amber eyes were narrowed and directed on her, it looked as if he was silently judging her…but that wasn't the point here.

It was the tiny corners of his lips—they were twitching again.

"Are you alright?" Annette asked him in a worried tone.

Felix blinked and then shook his head. "Nothing for you to worry about," He assured her, returning to his usual stoic demeanor. "Let's get moving," Dropping his arms to his sides, he angled his body and started walking away again. "Come on," He ushered her, jerking his chin to the path ahead. "I'll show you to your room,"

Annette heard this and nodded firmly. Taking one more look at the window, she smiled before sprinting ahead to keep up with the latter. Once she managed to get close, she was quick to retreat her steps back to widen the distance between them, appropriate enough that it wouldn't stir potential gossips regarding her and Felix.

"What do you think of the place so far?"

Annette propped her head up to look at the back of his head.

Was he trying to make small talk with her?

"I quite like it here," She replied, cracking a big smile.

Inspected the lanterns above them and the countless doors they happened to pass by along the way, she commented back with, "This place is so big and spacious!" She released a little giggle, "I bet it was great to play hide and seek here,"

"It was," Felix admitted, and slowed his pace to give her a chance to catch up and keep in love with him. "The boar was always the one to be ‘it', and that left Ingrid and I to compete against each other on our hiding places,"

"What about Sylvain?" She wondered, getting interested. "Where would he be?"

"Probably courting some of the maids," He answered, followed by a light snort. "It didn't bother us. He was terrible at the game anyway,"

Flashbacks of his youth raced through his head, of him emerging out from the bushes in the courtyard, attempting to flee from sight as he caught the young prince with a long stick, grinning rather triumphantly as a short, blonde girl climbed down from the tree with a pouty look. Far from the chaos was Sylvain, and based on his memory, the redhead was busy showering flowers to two sisters, who were unaware that they were being hit on.

But there was another person with them, arriving two minutes late though was already eager to join them on the fun—one who bore a striking resemblance of him.

Glenn.

"That was a long time ago," Felix said quickly, "It's all in the past now,"

"…I see," Annette trailed off with a faint smile. "Your childhood must sound wonderful,"

The dark-haired man shrugged his shoulders. "You can say that," A pause. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Your childhood," Felix clarified, taking the initiative to keep their conversation going. "Yours must've been all sunshine and rainbows,"

Annette emitted a fake laugh, taking a piece of her hair and twirling it around with her finger. "…I guess," She mumbled lowly, forcing a smile as she swung her suitcase back and forth. "I didn't have siblings nor friends to call my own…so it was mostly just me, my parents, and uncle hanging around,"

Before she knew it, Annette found herself being transported back to the time when she was six-years-old, and as far as she could remember, even to this day, her house remained the same—warm and welcoming.

She remembered the many holidays, her birthdays especially when she would be bestowed with a wooden doll her father would carve only for her, and the endless number of books from her mother and uncle. Majority of the memories from her childhood were joyous, except for one.

Her father bidding farewell to them as he answered the call of the royal family…only to never return on their doorstep for the next few years.

Though she was still blessed with the love and support of her mother and uncle, the sudden disappearance of her father left a bitter taste on her mouth. Then again, if it weren't for her determination to search for him, she wouldn't have been able to attend the Monastery, joined the Blue Lions with Mercedes, where she met everyone and survive the war.

A moment of silence loomed in, with their footsteps being the only source of noise to accommodate their stroll through the narrow halls.

"I completely forgot to ask!" She suddenly cried, startling the latter next to her. "How would you like me to call you?"

Taking notice of his blank expression, the young woman blushed, clearing her throat and veering her attention to a random window as she ruminated through her thoughts, making sure to choose her words carefully. "Since you've attained the title as the new Lord of Fraldarius," She explained before glancing back to face him again, "I'm guessing I should probably start addressing you formally, right?"

Registering her words, Felix shrugged. "You don't have to," He told her, waving his hand dismissively, placing his hand on the handle of his sword strapped on his leather belt and training his eyes to the path ahead. "I'd rather we speak like what we're doing right now,"

"But shouldn't we stick to the custom? I mean, don't you think it'll be a bit off-putting if I were to call you by your first name, especially in front of delegates or the people serving under you?" She reasoned to him with a sheepish grin, "At least let me call you by your surname—"

"As I said before, there's no need for that," Felix assured her, his voice growing softer. "If it's you, I don't mind," He added in, and thankfully, she wasn't able to catch it. As he propped his head, he recognized the halls they were in. "Here we are,"

"Wait, we're already here?"

Felix nodded, and after taking two more steps ahead of her, proceeded to jerk his chin at the door on his right. When he dared to sneak a glance at her, he fought his hardest not to smile when he saw her already making her way over, with her suitcase in tow.

After twisting the knob, the pair entered inside.

Once again, Annette was in a state of amazement.

Everything she imagined—the bed, the windows, the sanitation, and the room as a whole, was as if it had come to life.

At the center of the bedroom was a king-sized bed, dressed with blue floral patterned comforters, pillows, along with a dark-themed canopy. In front of the bed was a wooden chest of secrets, old and weary, and on its surface was aligned with flowers and other decorative assortments. The wooden furniture was spotless and clean, free of any dust bunnies or any trace of scraps or marking. On the floors was large round carpeting, and similar to the bed possessed a blue floral patterning. Of all the things that were inside this room, her absolute favorite would be the windows.

Annette made her way toward them and as she poked her head a little too close against the frame, gasped in awe as she drank in the view of the plentiful greenery and singular willow tree in the courtyard.

The sound of her laughter rang loudly in the air, and Felix stood there, wondering what it'll feel like if he could hear her melodious voice weave another verse of stanzas.

Once her excitement died down, Annette turned to look at the dark-haired man with a baffled look. "Are you sure it's alright for me to be using this room?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "It's luxuriant,"

Felix shrugged. "Why do you think it's called the guest room?" He points out, setting a hand on one hip. "Or would you prefer something else? I could try to make some arrangements if it doesn't suit your taste,"

Annette pondered over the thought and shook her head. "No need for that," And reinforced another smile. "Uh…how should I put this? It's a whole lot better than what I thought it would be," Ambling toward him, the young woman bowed her head respectfully. "What can I do to make it up to you for your hospitality?"

"You could sing for me," was what he wanted to say to her, but caught himself in a nick of time. Instead, Felix sighed and concluded with a simple statement of, "Right now, that should be the least of your concerns," He averted his eyes to the rustic grandfather clock located on his right, and upon reading the time, he added, "Once you're settled in, meet me downstairs in the cafeteria for supper,"

Annette nodded meekly. "Will do," She replied, bowing her head twice in a row. "Thank you again for the tour! And for taking me in and with this room, and well…everything else!"

The swordsman responded with a dismissive wave of his hand and just like that, started heading out the exit. As he reached the half-opened door, he stopped to give her a side-glance. "Oh, and one more thing," He began, catching her attention. "My room is three doors down on your left," As he delivered those words, a light coat of blush sprinkled across his cheeks. "Just wanted you to know, in case you ever need anything of me,"

The young mage turned crimson. "Oh, that's…that's good to know," She stammered as she swallowed thickly, "I'll keep that in mind,"

With one last nod, Felix left without another word, closing the door shut behind him. Annette hurriedly rushed over, and pressing her ear close to the wooden surface, she patiently waited, carefully listening for the echoing sounds of his footsteps fading away.

And when she did, she finally released a heavy sigh. "That was agonizing," She groaned,

With her ear pressed against the door, Annette carefully listened to his retreating footsteps…and when she did, she finally released the breath she'd been holding in. "That was agonizing," She groaned, chewing her lower lip as she staggered toward the king-sized bed with her suitcase.

Plopping herself on the edge of the bed, the young mage put her suitcase on the carpet flooring and spreading her arms wide open, dove into the warm embrace of the mattress. She smiled as she could feel the strains of her muscles beginning to loosen up.

Seizing one of the pillows, Annette buried her crimson face.

She tried to push away the images of a certain swordsman but to no avail.

Here she was, close to the brink of collapse as she had spent nearly five hours together with her schoolboy crush. And the day hasn't even ended yet. He was expecting her to attend supper with him, possibly to introduce her to the population of House Fraldarius.

After that, there was tomorrow, where she's supposed to start her duties as his temporary assistant in his office with whatever documentation, attend political meetings, and the like…with him.

And it repeats.

Again.

Again.

And again.

…Oh, no.

Her heart was already thumping as madly as it was, and the fear of having to spend the next six months with him, alone in this office, and this military fortress, was breaking her apart. Not only was she expected to together alongside him, but did he have to point out that his quarters were located three doors down on her left? Since when did he become so bold with his words? Does he even realize the damage he's doing to her?

More importantly, could she survive this long with him around?

"…Yes, I can," Annette encouraged herself, and as she slowly removed the pillow away from her face, there came a spark of resilience, the eternal fire burning in her eyes. She did it before and she could do it again. If she could somehow figure out a way to ward him off, maybe complete tasks where she wouldn't have to be forced to work with him and finish the chores assigned to her in her own pace, then it wouldn't be so bad after all.

So long as Felix wasn't aware of her crush on him, everything would work out well.

…Right?

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for the fifth chapter! Honestly, this entire chapter kept me up at night as I would often switch between the POVs of Felix and Annette almost left and right.
> 
> Hopefully, everything worked out fine as I intended!
> 
> Also, thank you once again for your massive support! Your kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, and everyday, I would stop to take the time to read them and smile! So if anything, you guys are the right MVPs here!
> 
> Thank you to--RetconRenegade, Xion0102, CaramellCrush, Asakura1213, matchamida, Bruh_Noises, Kamizuko and the 9 new guests!
> 
> Now, the ball is beginning to roll as we'll begin to start witnessing Felix/Annette interaction! If you enjoyed this chapter, you'll definitely enjoy the next! Just remember, the next update will be up on Friday, Saturday at most!
> 
> That's all for now!  
As always, have a wonderful day!


	6. His Adjutant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, this is Kroissant!
> 
> First, I would like to once again apologize for my lateness of update. I'd admit, I felt a bit pressured by the rising hits of numbers and overwhelming support of kudos and comments coming my way. And so, I needed some time away from social media, take a breather, and relax...and now that I've returned, I can't help but feel appalled by how popular this fanfic has suddenly gotten.
> 
> To be honest, I don't feel like I deserve this as I am simply here to do my best to deliver the best content for this lovely ship.  
Even so, I can't help but want to take the time to sincerely thank you for being so patient for me, and your words of encouragement through comments and kudos has given me the energy and strength to keep writing!
> 
> I believe that's all for now!  
Enjoy reading the new update!

* * *

The splendor beauty of the sun arose from the mountains, spawning far and wide, and invading the many villages and hamlets with its radiance—marking the new dawn.

House Fraldarius—the military fortress, surrounded by the large, colossal barricade was confined in its desolation and as the sunlight poured in with the intensity of its brilliant glow, slipped past the impenetrable walls effortlessly.

The influence of the sun was absolute, scouring through every inch of the building, purifying and warding off the cold, hollowed darkness drifting in the many corners and edges of the stone structure, replaced with that of its gentle, warm ambiance—and it would not rest until the entirety of it all was submerged in its golden light.

Strolling in the outskirts of the courtyard as the sun's only witness—a young woman, dressed in a long, cream dress, accentuated with the complementary colors of blue and orange, with wavy locks of marmalade beautifully flowing down her shoulder blades—and as if she knew, halted in her tracks and averted her gaze to her right, where she was rewarded with the welcoming sight of daybreak.

Slowly, a smile materialized across her lips.

Collecting her gloved hands behind her, Annette raised her head high, taking a moment of her spare time to appreciate the photogenic scenery from where she stood.

Since the events of yesterday, she found herself contemplating her next actions.

Her eyes went downcast, frowning a little.

The pleasant feeling stirring in her stomach was still there…and to her dismay, a memory from late last night, the one concerning the events that transpired in the dining hall resurfaced from the back of her mind—which she regretfully longed to turn back time and redo from scratch.

After leaving the guestroom and heading her way to the dining hall, Annette had once again caught herself in the spotlight, as the entire room completely became devoid of its lively atmosphere and turning absurdly still…and forcing a smile did her best to confidently march on, her eyes trained at the table where Felix sat alone, his hair still tousled about and looking a bit under the weather, playing with his food.

Sitting down on the opposing side, she was quick to engage in a conversation with the swordsman, and to her surprise, didn’t hesitate to respond. Somehow, his company made her feel a bit better…though it became rather difficult it to listen when the dining hall returned to its normal state—rambunctious and lively. In the end, Annette endured it all, and once supper was over and Felix offered to escort her back to her quarters, as the pair made their way out of the dining hall—again, the room was quick to revert to its complete stillness, and for the umpteenth time that day, Annette felt haunted by the daunting attention focused solely on her…

Annette sighed heavily, hanging her head.

Admittedly, she was unable to get a good night sleep.

Tipping her head, she released her hands and brought one of them close to her chest, staring perplexedly at the horizon. The pressure was already starting to get to her. Now that she thought about it, could it be possible that Felix felt the same way as well, trying to live up to their expectations, and the traditional regulations of how a Lord should act and behave?

Fortunately, Sylvain saw right through him…and wrote a letter to her. And here she was, ready to aid him in whatever tasks he needed her to partake for today.

“Felix needs me, doesn’t he?”

A strong gale blew in, chilly and unsettling…even so, Annette stood in place, focused and determined. Reminding herself of her mission, she dared to peer up to see the sun and emit a large grin, reigniting the fire burning within her.

“Let’s do this, Annette!”

Full of vigor and energy, the young mage headed straight for the exit, where it would take her to the first floor. To start the day, one must prepare a serving of breakfast. With that in mind, Annette quickened her pace, her heart racing as she remembered the various dishes she had prepared back in the Monastery, limiting them to only a few that would surely please the likes of a grumpy swordsman.

…Suddenly, an idea struck her.

Twisting her heel, Annette bolted the other way, her eyes scanning frantically as she carefully inspected each door, she passed by…until finally, she found it—the last one on her right.

“Okay, Annette…you can do this,” Inhaling her breath in, Annette shaped her hand into a fist and proceeded to knock on the surface of the door. The second she did so, she was quick to retreat, swallowing her saliva thickly and steeling herself for what was to come.

But a minute passed, and nothing happened.

“…Felix? Are you there?”

No response.

Growing worried, she knocked on the door again. “It’s me, Annette!” She raised her voice a bit louder, “I was wondering if you’d like to join me in the dining hall to eat breakfast,”

Still no response.

Annette puffed her cheeks. “Felix!” She banged her fist against the door quite harshly, oblivious to the knights and servants who gave her a few odd looks from a distance. When she couldn’t bring herself to knock further, she sighed heavily. Lifting her chin, Annette pouted, regaining a bit of her momentum as she struggled to glare at the door.

She could imagine him right now, standing on the other side, hopefully, awake and well-rested than yesterday, listening to her nonsense with a wicked smirk on his face—

“What are you doing?”

Annette widened her eyes. Blinking, she turned around, following the direction of the familiar voice. Upon the sight of the dark-haired man in front of her, she froze. She glanced back at the door, and then at him with a bewildered expression.

“…How long have you been standing there?” She spoke up after a brief moment of silence.

“Just now,” He said coolly, placing a hand on one hip. “Care to explain why you were talking to the door?”

“I-I was not!” She remarked, blushing furiously from embarrassment.

Felix quirked his eyebrow at her, still uncertain. Finally, he emitted an exasperated sigh. “You should know that I don’t sleep in my office, unlike a certain boar,” He brought up, “Keep that in mind for the future,”

Annette meekly nodded.

“You mentioned breakfast, right?” Felix cuts in, catching her attention. “Something about me joining you?”

“Uh, yeah…" She trailed off, smiling as she gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "But you don't have to! It was merely a suggestion—”

"I didn't say no," He replied in a flat tone, though didn't cover his mouth in time as a long yawn had already escaped. After raking his slightly tangled ponytail, he snuck a peek at her, and without realizing, the corners of his mouth quirked upwards.

Taking note of this, Annette blushed. Wait, did he just—

Almost too quickly, Felix whirled his head and cleared his throat. “Let’s get going,” He told her, taking a few steps forward. “After breakfast, we’ll start working,” Without bothering to wait for her, he went ahead.

Meanwhile, Annette remained in place, unable to grasp what she had seen.

Did Felix just smile at her?

“There’s…no way,” She mumbled lowly under her breath, shaking her head a few times. Knowing her and her tendencies to daydream, she was probably imagining it…yeah, that must be it.

Returning to her senses, Annette was surprised to find the swordsman no longer around. Frantic, she looked around, only to catch him already going on ahead of her.

“Felix, wait!” She cried, and hurriedly chased after his retreating figure.

* * *

For the next few weeks, Felix and Annette worked collectively as a team.

Inside the office, they did their best to tackle and complete the voluminous heaps of documentations on his study desk, with the majority of them sent from the kingdom capital, and a few notable ones from House Gautier and House Galatea concerning border controls.

By splitting the workload week after week, slowly but steady, they were making progress.

During one of their breaks, Annette made it her duty to educate the young Lord with the basic knowledge of military tactics and leadership. Personally, this proved to be beneficial for her, seizing the opportunity to apply her wisdom and coach him, starting with the basic military tactics, strategies, and other necessities she remembered picking up during their schooldays in the Monastery. The many tutoring sessions she would constantly attend together with Mercedes and Ashe greatly got the ball rolling, as the immense pile of information she tirelessly drilled into her brain miraculously lingered.

And thanks to her guidance, Felix managed to accomplish more than what he initially planned. In addition to the education she was teaching him, Annette went further as to offer him with helpful advice on how to best approach severe political confrontations, recognize the necessity behind dress decorum, lead a charge on the battlefield with less casualties on the line, and more importantly, improve on his authority—a skill which he so desperately lacked when he used to be a student and even now, would stumble from time to time…

On the other side of the spectrum was Annette.

Following her duties as the young Lord’s temporary assistant, behind in the scenes, she was quick to adapt to her new environment. By the end of the second week, she was able to learn the complex layout of the entire fortress by heart…though there were a few times she would find herself daydreaming or formulating her next lesson, only to get lost in the maze-like corridors. Even so, she made sure to take advantage of her spare time by exploring the entirety of the place—one minute, she would be in the lounge room, striking up a conversation with some of the knights and servants or reading history books for leisure, and next thing you know, she would be running off to the courtyard to play tag with the children or assisting out in the kitchen and causing mayhem.

Beyond the walls, that was pretty much it as Annette was unfortunately prohibited from stepping outside the building on her own—a new rule to which Felix immediately issued to guarantee her safety, deflecting any possibilities of danger that could harm her.

And as luck would have it, Annette would twist this new rule and deem it as her own—she could still go outside and travel near the border gates, so long as the young Lord was accompanying her.

…It took one long argument and earful shouts from her to get the poor man to submit defeat, and almost every Sunday, after finishing their separate workload, the pair would take on a stroll together, and to Felix’s embarrassment, was encouraged by the latter to greet the many refugees and guards stationed near the gates…and it took all the strength he could muster, combined with his pride to stop at every individual in sight and compliment on their labor and efforts…all the while, with Annette observing him in the background with a big, dumb grin adorning her face.

It was a small step to take, though when the time came for another mission, Felix was appalled by the hundreds of knights and guards unanimously stepping up to join him in the gray. Who knew, that all this time, he needed a little push (or in this case, a bit of a shove), to simply take a moment to reach out and personally thank the others for their overlooked endeavors and gain immense rapport and loyalty from them within minutes.

All thanks to a certain young woman who can’t seem to remove that god, awful smile she became famous for within the fortress.

Quite similar to his affiliation with the knights in the Fraldarius army, it took a while—no, almost a full month and a half for the house staff to accept Annette.

With her kindred spirit and bubbly nature, in addition to her surprising popularity among the children, little by little, they eventually warmed up to her…and by then, the young woman’s strange tendencies of exploding pots and pans in the kitchen, tripping over random barrels, and overall, her status as a natural-born disaster became one of the many, well-liked topics throughout the territory—most often initiated by the elderly folks fortunate enough to work alongside the diligent worker.

The good old days when House Fraldarius was notorious for its grim silence in the halls, the excessive whisperings from the housemaids and frequent, marching footsteps by the guards patrolling around had vanished altogether—and instead, was replaced with something new.

Annette was a breath of fresh air, one who certainly brought life back to the dull, and lifeless military case which House Fraldarius was historically prominent of—welcoming a new change of pace, one greatly embraced and appreciated by the majority of the population.

And for the woman who started it all—for the first time in a long while, Annette felt safe and secured with where she was. Yes, there were times when she did feel a bit homesick, but once she surrounded herself with the people who took the time to personally get to know her, with the children and a few elderly folks adoring every second of her presence, and accepting her for who she was despite her flaws and mishaps in the kitchen…somehow, it brought joy to her, feeling overly satisfied with her decision to come here and be of some assistance.

As Annette’s popularity grew over time, rumors started to spread among the house staff regarding her and their young Lord. With the exception of their work in his office, they seemed to always spare their times together—be it strolling outside to greet the military army, consume meals in the dining halls, challenge each other in the training grounds (with Felix’s personal preference for swords, of course), and possibly many more henceforth. The evidence was there, and that alone has spawned many creative speculations between them, ranging from a secret love affair to a love story that’s waiting to occur.

While the mystery of their relationship remained up in the air, behind closed doors, something was beginning to stir…

* * *

Near the end of the second month—of the Wyvern Moon, Felix was scheduled to take part in an important assembly and as the new leader of House Fraldarius, was tasked to host the event in his territory. For the entire week, many of the house servants, including Annette who offered to help out, were in a frenzy to make every room, floor, and other decorative objects within the building to be clean and spotless.

Once the dreaded day arrived, and the delegates arrived on their doorsteps one by one, Felix remained in his office, tapping his foot impatiently on the flooring.

“You’ll do fine,” Annette assured him, giving him a thumbs up. “Just remember to familiarize yourself with their titles and address them accordingly by alphabetical order, and everything would go along swimmingly,”

Felix snorted. “Easy for you to say,” He murmured, frowning deeply. Leaning his back against the wall, he released a heavy sigh. “…Hey, Annette?”

“Yes?”

“Do me a favor and take my place,”

Annette smiled, shaking her head. “Sorry, but this is something only you can do,” She replied, and with the demonstration of her arms, proceeded to raise them high to flex her lack of muscles. “Come on, you can do this! I believe in you!”

“…Uh-huh,”

A moment of silence settled in.

Annette cleared her throat. “I…better get going,” She spoke up, producing a nervous smile as she gestured her chin to the door. “Good luck with everything, okay?”

Before Felix had time to register what was going on, she had already left him alone in his office. Closing the door shut behind her, Annette shut her eyes, breathing deeply as she firmly pressed her fist to her chest.

“Okay, calm down…” She mumbled to herself softly, “Just breathe…”

Collecting herself, she mustered a smile and hurriedly made her way over to the inventory, located near the dining hall, to gather a few cleaning tools in her possession. Afterward, she went straight for the nearby staircase, where it would take her to one of her favorite spots in the fortress—the library. Upon taking her first step in the large room, she took the time to carefully inspect the majesty of the grand space.

“Okay, let’s do this!” Rolling up her sleeves, Annette went straight to work. With the feather duster equipped in one hand and a dirty rug on the other, she managed to kick one of the stools from underneath a study table, directing it over to the nearby bookshelves. Ever so carefully, she placed her feet on the surface, took a moment to stand momentarily still, and once her weight was properly balanced, started removing the old, dusty books, placing them on the ground to begin brushing away the filthy dust particles on each respective shelf.

Though her body felt sore from having to run a few errands in the afternoon, the last thing she needed right now was to sit back and relax, knowing for sure that if she had done so, her worried thoughts of Felix and how he would behave in the assembly would only catch up and torment her. The only way to distract her was to keep moving, keep cleaning until the last of her strength drains from her arms and legs and she collapses from exhaustion.

…Okay, maybe that last part was a bit exaggerated.

Smiling away without a care in the world, she beamed when the lyrics of her favorite silly songs came to mind. Prying her mouth open, she sang with an upbeat tone, “Oh, how I just love to clean~ Clean the library room~”

She let the melody take a hold of her, feeling ever so lively and free as she performed a few twirls here and there, her hips shaking and her arms moving about as she sang to her heart’s content. And when the song was over, she was quick to sing another one, and then another, and another…

Until finally, almost thirty minutes had passed and upon reaching the point of exhaustion, Annette smiled, wiping away the sweat leaking from her exposed forehead using the back of her left arm and as she moved her foot to set it down on the solid flooring…

Her eyes widened, her breathing turning to a standstill as her world spun around her within seconds. “Bahh!” On instinct, she brought her arms over her chest, her shoulders tensed as she quickly closed her eyes, bracing for the impact…

One minute passed, and nothing happened.

Confused by this, Annette slowly fluttered her eyes wide open. Blinking her eyes a few times, she slowly raised her chin.

“…Felix?”

Lo and behold, here he was—carrying her in a bridal-style with little to no effort, his lips fixed in a straight line and his attention focused solely on her. The two stared at each other for a moment, unfazed by the fact that their noses were merely inches away from touching each other…and how incredibly close they could feel the warmth of the other’s breath…and how firm yet gentle his grip was on her body as it was nestled a little too close against his chest.

“You okay?” Felix asked her, breaking the silence.

Annette couldn’t find the right words to say, resorting to simply bobbing her head in response, her heart thumped madly when she was rewarded with his soft gaze and rare smile.

“Good,” He told her, with no trace of remorse nor edge veiled in his voice whatsoever.

And it baffled her—to think how with one subtle change of his voice and expression, he could look and act so different.

This was a dream, right?

“You’re pretty heavy, you know that?”

Registering his words, Annette blushed scarlet.

“P-please put me down!” She yelped, wriggling herself off from his grip. “Let me go!” To her horror, she felt his hold on her loosen and the next thing she knew, she could feel her body dipping down in rapid motion.

Eyes widening, Annette immediately wrapped her arms around his neck in fear he might drop her right then and there.

“FELIX!” She cried loudly, burying her face on his chest as she clung desperately on him as if her life depended on it. As soon as she called out his name, he stopped what he was doing. Seconds later, she could feel his chest rumbling a little, and it wasn’t long until her ears picked up the sound of laughter.

His laughter.

Perplexed, Annette slowly looked up and as she faced him once more, was shocked by the sight of his impish grin.

“Gotcha,”

Hearing this, the young woman smiled a little, her stomach tightening by the sound of his growing laughter…yet, this proved to be short-lived when she came to realize that he must’ve planned this from the start. She covered her crimson face, embarrassed by how quickly she had fallen into his trap. When his laughter ceased to an end, he returned his gaze on the woman resting in his arms, who stared back at him, through the tiny gap in-between her fingers, with a bashful look.

In response, Felix countered back with a lop-sided grin.

Blushing harder, Annette quickly motioned her head the other way to avert her gaze, but the rosiness in her cheeks gave her away.

“Can you put me down now?”

To her relief, he silently obliged, and ever so carefully, put her down. The second her feet landed on the ground, Annette sighed and as she took one step forward, was surprised to find that his left arm was still wrapped around her petite waist. She opened her mouth to say something, only to close it up again when she was presented with her feather duster and clean rug, and once she accepted the tools, the tingling warmth around her waist was no more.

She watched as Felix crouched to his knees, picking up the books scattered across the carpeted flooring. Rising, he started to arrange them in the shelves. Annette took a quick peek at the nearby grandfather clock across the room—it was almost noon.

Her eyes slowly widened. “Felix, your meeting!” She exclaimed, catching his attention. “You should get going! Now!”

Felix gave her a blank look. “It’s fine,” He assured her, still concentrated on putting the books back where they belonged. “Let them wait,”

Annette nodded meekly. Placing her cleaning tools on a nearby table, she bent down to her knees to gather the few books, only to discover a hand reaching out to her. Without a word, she smiled and presented the dark-haired man with some of the books, to which he silently continued to rearrange in order.

Rising from the ground and wiping away a few dust particles that somehow, managed to stick on her dress, Annette glimpsed back at the swordsman and taking a deep breath, called out his name. “Felix?

“Hmm?”

Once their eyes met, Annette flashed him a large grin.

“…Thank you,”

Felix nodded, shocking her with yet another small smile of his own.

“Anytime,”

* * *

Despite her protests, Felix remained firm with his decision to escort her back to her quarters. And after bidding farewell (and Annette encouraging him to do his best), the pair separated.

Closing the doors behind her, she swiftly raced toward her bed, and with her arms wide open, dove into its embrace. Seizing a nearby pillow, she covered her still flustered face and began to shriek. The excitement inside her was bubbling, her heart pounding…everything around her was spinning—it wasn’t making any sense to her anymore.

“Damn you, Felix…”

He truly was the evilest of all villains, and to think…to think he dared to sneak up on her, with his strong arms wrapped securely around her waist with that soft gaze he wore…and the unexpected laugh…

“No, no, no…”

Oh, how she hated herself for falling into that clever trap of his.

And now, she was falling deeper into the rabbit hole, to the point of no return to the surface…and there was nothing she could do but feel utterly ashamed for allowing it to happen.

Then again, this was the first time she ever saw him smile and laugh at the same time—and for once, looked…pretty nice.

The entire scene—from start to finish, was bizarre.

And of all people, it had to be Felix, who never once bothered to cast aside his stoic mask nor try to at least express some sort of emotion like a decent human being.

Back then, Annette felt convinced that the poor guy was probably cursed to be like that, non-friendly irritated, and never satisfied with the world he was thrown into. And in a silly way, she made it her mission to cheer him up, the same way how she managed to teach Dedue how to naturally smile or that time with Dimitri in the cathedral, how he laughed over her declaration to starve him until he could muster a smile for her.

But Felix was different.

Unlike the previous two, he managed to do it by himself…and without complaints!

All he needed to do was exhibit a hint of humanity—a smile, and a burst of laughter, of all things…and she was already close to fainting from having to witness it. Damn it, why did he have to make things more difficult by looking so freaking adorable?

The swordsman truly was complicated beyond words.

Removing the pillow off her face, Annette turned her sights to stare idly at the large windows. Suddenly, a thought came to her.

Getting out from her bed, Annette leisurely ambled over to her desk. Plopping herself on the chair and acquiring the feather quill at hand, she took the folded letter—and as she unveiled the content, smiled as she silently reread the message.

Once she was done, she ripped a piece of the paper in half and flipping it over, started jotting down the ideas popping into her head. As she wrote, she began recalling the memory of the incident in the library, of Felix looking at her and holding her close…

His smile and laughter…

It was beautiful.

She wanted to see it again, just one more time.

And so, she decided to write a list—basically anything, that would surely please him to some extent. Whether it be another round of practice in the training grounds, teaching him or working with the documents in the office, having meals together in the dining hall, and simply taking a stroll together outside…

She paused for a few brief seconds, tapping the feather quill along her temple, hummed delightfully as she closed her eyes, swinging her legs a few times as she tried to match the pattern of her tune that would hopefully sync with the lines of her new song in the works.

When she managed to write the things she could come up with, Annette lifted her hand a bit higher and after reaching the top of the page, with a smile, wrote down the five important words that overall summarized her determination to achieve—a new mission she was eager to undertake, no matter the cost:

**How to Make Felix Happy**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the end of chapter six!  
I'm glad that I was able to post this after so long (this chapter has been rotting in my computer for too long and deserves a chance to be in the sun) and to give you guys a hint on what's coming, my two favorite chapters are going to be updating next! As for the dates for the updates in general, that I'm uncertain of. For now, I would like to implore you all to be patient with me as I would need some time to edit/delete/add scenes for the next chapters.
> 
> Maybe I'll give you all a hint for the next chapter--snow.
> 
> At this moment, I would like to take the time to acknowledge the new readers--RavioRavioli, lunaves, pearlrose250, Shouheii, Shireimi, idotp1, hernobleness, Venrajade and the 60 new guests (wow, wow, wow!) who commented and left kudos! Thank you all so much for your support!
> 
> Your kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, and every day, I would stop to take the time to read them and smile! So if anything, you guys are the right MVPs here!
> 
> Before I leave, I would like to say how proud I am to see how this ship is beginning to gain some recognition in the spotlight! I'm so proud of the many fanfiction authors who took the time to contribute to this lovely ship! If you can, please take the time to read them! (I personally recommend you baby pull me closer by kaymoon24, this sweet harmony called family by star_on_a_staff, I'm not great at harmonizing by orangebiscotti, and no more tomorrow by lunachaili)--please check them out if you can! They are all so wonderful and deserve such recognition!
> 
> That's all for now!  
As always, have a wonderful day!


	7. Closing the Distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm deeply sorry for not being able to update since the 22nd of August. But I implore you, I present you with a new chapter that would begin to progress the story. The truth is, I've been trying to pluck out some ideas in my head and in time, got busy with my personal life. But here I am now, ready and now confident to let you guys know that you are all in a real treat. As mentioned before, this is my favorite chapter and I made sure to add alot of fluff and intimacy between our lovely pair.
> 
> I believe that's all for now.  
Start reading and enjoy!
> 
> Suggested song to hear--fairytale (Shrek) piano version/original OST
> 
> I'll see you all at the ending notes!

* * *

“Where are you taking me?”

Peering over her shoulder, Annette flashed him a bright smile. “Oh, you’ll see,” Reverting her attention to the path up ahead, she urgently tugged the hem of his long, winterberry-themed sleeve. “Come on! Pick up the pace!”

Felix pursed his lips, looking elsewhere as he muttered a few voiceless words under his breath. Nevertheless, he followed after her.

It was the final week of the Wyvern Moon, which meant that the young Lord of Fraldarius was expected to pay a visit to the Kingdom Capital, Fhirdiad, where he and the other noble families—including House Gautier and House Galatea, the soon-to-be-crowned Boar Prince and his right-hand man, Dedue, would gather in a round table to negotiate on their next steps to restore Faerghus to its original state.

Aside from that, the documented reports thrown at him were no longer a major issue, all thanks to Annette’s suggestion of creating realistic deadlines and with the pair compromising to split the labor, overtime, they managed to efficiently keep up the momentum going thus far.

On top of that, almost a few days since the library incident, the spirited redhead seemed more willing to accompany him almost everywhere he went.

Be it taking long strolls through the open fields, partaking practice drills in the training grounds, or consuming meals in the Dining Hall—never once did she skip any of the activities in favor of her own.

It was strange.

Before, she used to be so distant with him.

But now, close to the end of her second month here in the fortress, and now, she wasn't afraid to come up to him and practically drag him off to wherever piqued her interest…not that he seemed to mind at all.

Annette was always so full of energy, and in a way, her being here, in general, made it a bit more…dare he say, entertaining? Lately, he wound find himself smiling whenever she was within range, and whenever she spotted him, eyes twinkling and with a skip in her step, it took all the strength he could muster to reinforce the brooding, static expression he was famous for.

Who could’ve thought that the thing to trigger Felix’s good mood was a woman? And not just any woman, but one who was the literal personification of the sun: bright, warm, and encouraging.

When was the last time he felt this way toward someone?

Or, in a matter of speaking, the last time he felt content with what he had?

Felix hung his head, his eyes traveling downwards to glower at the ground as he recalled the memories of the past.

During his youth, all he had was his older brother, Glenn—and as for a certain trio of childhood friends, would occasionally take the time to drop by and pay a visit, though not too long to remain for the rest of the day.

Never good enough to get his father’s approval or make him proud of something he had committed. And the more his father ignored him, the more desperate and hungrier he got as he wanted to get out of the house, all to prove it to the old man that he could make a name for himself without having to rely on their family’s name. Luckily, Glenn was there to console him as what a big brother should.

But when he had met his demise on the night of the Tragedy of Duscur, the more frustration Felix got around others, especially with his father, Rodrigue, who couldn’t seem to sit still after learning of the news that the young prince Dimitri had miraculously survived the catastrophe event, choosing to devote his time and energy to assist and guide the young boy, all the while failing to consider that his spare was still living and breathing, and tossed to the side.

Hell, the day before his passing, the stupid old man pulled him to the side after a meeting to tell him that if he were to ever fall in battle, Felix would need to continue his footsteps, help Dimitri defeat the enemy, and ensure that he would be officially crowned as their Savior King.

And that was it.

After completing everything—mostly the utter nonsense and obsession of his late father over the prince, what else would there be left for him to do besides returning home and taking on the position as the next Lord of Fraldarius. As the last, remaining member of the highly-esteemed family, the next best course of action would be marriage.

Naturally, with his still youthful age, and recently inherited the title, Felix was bound to be among the highest contenders for potential suitors, nobility or not, to get their hands on.

At the thought of marriage, he slowly lifted his chin, and with softened eyes, directed his full attention on the blob of bright, marmalade bouncing wildly in front of him. The gears in his head started turning and as the image of Annette, dressed in a beautiful, white wedding gown, walking down the aisle invaded his mind, his heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, it became too difficult to breathe.

“Here we are!”

On cue, Felix stopped walking, his chain of thoughts disrupted by her sudden announcement. He squinted his eyes, bringing a hand over his temple as his vision readjusted to the sheer glow of the sun overhead.

They were in the open courtyard, with no signs of the house servants nor guards anywhere within range. And not too far away, he noticed a set of table and chairs coming into view.

Releasing her hold on him, Annette dashed forward and as she neared the designated location, put her hands behind her back, and jerked her chin to the two seats and singular table.

All Felix could do was offer her a blank look.

Annette rolled her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that,” And once more, reached out to take his hand, pulling him to the awaiting chair next to him. “Sit down and let’s get started,”

As she let go of him, Felix frowned a little, already missing her warmth. Standing behind his assigned seat, the swordsman crossed his arms. He didn’t budge. “What if I don’t want to?”

Annette huffed her chest, setting her hands on her hips as she fixed him a glare, silently commanding him to shut up and sit down.

A lop-sided grin slipped past his lips, though was quick to dissipate when he noticed how persisted she was, and heaving a low sigh, plopped himself down on his seat.

Felix eyed the space underneath the table, shifting his chair a few times to ensure that there was enough space for him to move around and get comfortable. Once he was able to secure this, Felix cleared his throat and leaned his back on the chair.

Across from him was Annette, who busied herself by applying the finishing touches and stirring a small spoon inside the two teacups.

Removing the spoon and placing it on a napkin, with a look of satisfaction etched on her face, Annette carefully presented the piping hot tea toward his direction. “Here you go,” She began, followed by a nervous smile. “I heard from Sylvain that you enjoy the taste of Almyran pine needles, so I made sure to put in extra just for you,”

A light sprinkle of red adorned his cheeks.

“…Thanks,” He mumbled, quite flattered by her kind gesture and leaning a bit forward, graciously accepted the teacup.

“Ah! Careful!” She suddenly cried, frantically waving her arms shortly after he took it away from her. “It’s hot!”

Felix nodded silently, making a mental note of her warning as he brought his lips close to the rim of the cup, and with half-lidded eyes, blew the liquid substance inside.

Tilting the cup, he went for the kill and in a few, short gulps finished his serving within seconds. He released a low sigh of relief, the corners of his lips curving upwards as he felt the temperate, numbing fluid running down his throat, with the distinct, earthy fragrance of the pine needles leaving him rejuvenated and wide awake than ever before.

As he carefully placed the porcelain teacup back on the surface of the table, he snuck a peek at Annette, who seemed to be a bit preoccupied with the sweets stationed on the two-tier tea platter display, abandoning her share of hot tea to the side. As she nibbled away on her cookies, Felix let his eyes silently travel to the crumbs descending to the big, blue-ribbon on her collar, and when she reached out to get another one, his face turned red when he noticed the same crumbs trickling a bit lower to her chest area.

Steadying himself, Felix called out to her. “Annette,”

Hearing her name, the woman peered up. “Hmm?” A light trail of cookie crumbs was spotted on her cheek.

"You've got something on…" He trailed off and directed his finger on his left cheek.

Annette brought her hand to where he was referring to and once her fingers touched the crumbs still glued on her cheeks, she blushed.

“Oh, wow! Thanks for the heads up!” She thanked him, bowing her head politely, blushing.

Quickly, she leaned forward to take a napkin, only for her hand to accidentally slip…causing her teacup to tilt the other way.

“AHHHH!” She yelped, abruptly rising from her seat as the burning, hot liquid trickled down her skin, and in retaliation, seized a few napkins from the table to furiously dab on the lower of her cream dress where the remaining tea had soaked in.

“Annette!” Rising to his feet, Felix scurried to her aid. “You alright?”

“I-I’m fine,” Annette stammered, blushing furiously as she attempted to cover the obvious light brown stain on her dress with both her hands, only to fail miserably. “But my dress…”

Right away, Felix took a glimpse and when he did, uttering a low curse as he quickly looked the other way, the tips of his ears matching the same color as his already flustered face. Her visible undergarments that were beginning to turn visible from underneath her dampened dress. His fingers instinctively went to unfasten the silver belt along the crook of his neck, “Here, take this,” And presented her the turquoise cape.

“But—"

“Just take it,” He insisted, and without bothering to wait for her answer, was already draping his cape over her lower torso. Though it managed to conceal most of the stain from public view, there was another problem. How in the goddess's name was the poor woman going to be able to return to the fortress? If she walked all by herself, there was bound to be questions and gossips arising from the house staff.

Hoping to save Annette from embarrassment, Felix was left with one more option.

“Hang on tight,” He said, catching her off-guard.

“Wait, what are you—”A light gasp escaped from her mouth the moment she felt her entire body getting lifted off from the ground. Flashbacks of the library incident immediately came to mind, causing her to stiffen. On reflex, Annette smacked him on the chest. “Felix!”

Felix grunted, and yet, that didn’t stop him from executing his plan. “Stop squirming,” He murmured, and cupping the back of her neck, gently shifted his arms a little to set the side of her head close to his chest—which so happens that his heart was beating ferociously.

He closed his seconds for a few brief seconds, praying to whichever deity ever existed to not let Annette’s ears catch it.

And once he assured himself, proceeded to nestle her in comfortably, as close to him as possible in case she would attempt to wriggle out from his hold in rebellion. “Let’s head back. You need a new change of clothes,”

As Felix marched ahead, he slipped a glance at the quiet redhead.

The worried expression on her face pained him, her eyes darting back to the table and chairs, then at the cape over her hands twiddled with the material of her tarnished dress. It was painfully obvious; since this morning, she was looking forward to the tea ceremony. Since their time at Garreg Mach, he wasn't particularly fond of the activity, becoming reminded of their deranged Professor who would tell him that if he didn't attend, as a penalty, he would get benched in the upcoming battle their respective house would be assigned on the following week.

Then there was Annette, who genuinely took pleasure sipping tea, munching on the delectable sweets offered, and rambling on about nonsense—she loved it so much, to the point that she proposed that Mercedes, Ingrid, and a few other girls from the other houses should attend group tea ceremonies on the weekends.

Like opposites, their views on tea parties were conflicting.

Yet, all it took was an adorable pout, and her eyes downcast to suddenly rile him up.

If it makes her happy, then—

“Next time,” He spoke up, startling her. Slowing his pace, Felix fixed his eyes directly at the woman in his arms. “Let’s…have teatime again, okay?”

Annette blinked once, then twice.

She remained silent, processing his words.

Slowly, a blush resurfaced across her cheeks, followed by a bashful smile. "I would like that," She agreed, returning to her usual, cheerful self. "If we stay a bit longer, we could drink more tea, eat more yummy sweets, and share stories!" Her eyes unconsciously traveled to her stained dress and a light giggle escaped from her, “And we’ll need to wear more appropriate clothing, for sure,”

Felix nodded along, listening to her while he made his way back to the entrance. “Sounds good,” He murmured, excitement bubbling inside him, a small smile formed on his lips.

* * *

As promised, more tea ceremonies were planned.

The following weekend, after securing their daily assignments, the pair would meet up at the courtyard, and under the pavilion, would be greeted with the arrangement of sweets and tea—ready and waiting for them.

Per Annette's suggestion, Felix changed his usual winterberry attire into that of casualwear: his long-sleeved, black turtleneck, navy-blue pants, and his thigh-high boots…then again, all he needed to do was remove the heavy, outer layer and nobody, not even Annette could tell the difference.

Speaking of Annette, hers was a drastic change. Still upset over what happened to her dress (and it was her favorite one too), she had no choice but to resort to her second preference—her student uniform, with the exclusion of her blue satchel and the standard jacket. Fortunately for her, the clothes were still a perfect fit for her…all the while choosing to ignore the tightness on the upper portion of her chest.

To her delight, the tea party went smoothly, and by the end of it, went up to Felix and implored—actually, more like pleaded him—until he finally complied.

The week after, the third tea ceremony came and then gone.

And so, did the fourth.

And the fifth.

The sixth, and so forth.

With each activity, the pair bonded, and as encouraged by Annette, Felix opened up to her, told her a few things about himself and what he liked—blushing furiously when he declared his love for cats, only to have Annette playfully tease and poke him after bravely coming clean of it—but beyond that, not so much. Sure, he would lightly mention of his family and Glenn, his late brother, but that was it. And in a way, he justified his reasoning to conceal this from her was how afraid he was…and if the information had leaked, chances are, she would’ve packed her bags and deserted him, like what his late father had done.

And avoid such a risk from happening, Felix kept his mouth shut of it, burying the painful memories that tormented him in the back of his mind and focus on the only thing that mattered to him at that moment—Annette, and her tedious explanation about her obsession with cleaning. For a small girl like her, she could chat up quite the storm…not that he was bothered by it.

Anything that came out of her mouth was practically musical to him.

Her voice was gratifying, sweet and irresistible. She always had her head up in the clouds, oblivious to the things around her whenever she was so focused on something else, though that tiny, little flaw only seemed to add more to her charm.

Unlike him, Annette was open about her history—about her father, Gilbert, her first encounter with Mercedes at the School of Sorcery, her determination to seek out her long-lost father at Garreg Mach and hopefully rekindle their relationship as father and daughter once more…

And then she stopped talking, looking down at her twiddling fingers as she hesitated to continue further. From the looks of it, it seems after the war, in spite of her efforts to track her father down and forge their familial ties, in the end…she got the short end of the stick, as the veteran knight vowed to her that he would visit her mother and uncle back in Fhirdiad, and then return to his duties to tend to his royal liege.

\--A true candidate for the worst father of the year, with Rodrigue coming at a close second.

“Why didn’t you tell this to me sooner?” Felix spoke up, breaking the silence. “If I had known—” He didn’t finish his sentence.

Because he already knew exactly how it was going to play out.

He would storm into the second floor where Gilbert would regularly wander around, and then challenge him in a duel right then and there. And if that wasn't enough to satisfy him, punch him square in the face until he had been knocked out of consciousness.

Though the probability of the latter was low, chances are, before he could deliver the final blow, the faculty members—Seteth and Alois especially, would turn up and restrain him against the wall.

Most likely, he would be sent straight to detention, or worse, be prohibited to take part in the next battle. Indeed, the dire consequences for committing such crimes would jeopardize the Fraldarius name and his pride. But to Felix, none of it boils down to the same level as Annette’s emotional distress she had to experience—chasing desperately for a father who would only respond by pushing her away; imploring her to forget he ever existed and to move on with her life.

The poor girl deserved some form of justice.

As for that poor excuse of a knight, he ought to have an ass-whooping for the suffering he had to make his daughter go through.

…Turns out, Felix and Annette weren’t as different as they thought they were. In truth, they did share quite a small number of similarities.

They once had a stable and complete family, and after the events of the Tragedy of Duscur, there came a penalty. Their fathers walked out from their lives, both blinded by their firm beliefs to preserve the notion of chivalry and pushing the next heirs to their noble families to the side in favor of dedicating every ounce of their energy and commitment serving and guiding the orphaned boar prince. What became of this prompted Felix and Annette to wear masks of their own; Felix with his cold, hard demeanor and Annette with her over-the-top, upbeat attitude.

Deep down, both dealt with the experience of loss and isolation, with piles of baggage concerning the unresolved issues with their fathers, and their compulsive nature to gain new power to pave their paths, with Felix taking up swordsmanship and challenging those who were deemed worthy in his eyes, and for Annette, burrowing her nose to the countless collections of textbooks to earn the best scores on exams, unfaltering and ambitious to the point of near exhaustion.

And who could’ve thought that this whole time, their paths were somehow linked to Blue Lions, which so happens to house a certain prince pampered by their respective paternal figures.

As the tea ceremonies came and gone, little by little, the distance between the two started dwindling and by then, a full month lapsed. The season of the Red Wolf Moon began and along with it, came the miracle of snow.

* * *

Standing close to the entrance of the open courtyard, Felix found Annette alone under the Willow tree.

Not missing a beat, he walked to her direction, his amber eyes instilled on her hourglass figure and fiery, bright marmalade hair—and with the backdrop covered by the freshly, fallen snow, Annette herself was enchantingly stunning, her bright-themed appearance making her stick out of the beautiful pure white scenery like a sore thumb.

With each step, Felix’s heart pounded, curling his gloved hands into fists as he urged himself to get closer,

How lucky he was to stumble upon her singing.

As he drew nearer, Felix crinkled his lips to a smile, recalling the way she looked whenever she was in such a state and still to this day, remained so as ever: eyes closed shut, hands firmly intertwined and placed close to where her heart was and smiling away without a care. To his growing amusement, here she was, chanting another silly, catchy tune about the snow.

Finally, he paused in his steps, but never tired of removing his gaze from her. and when Annette concluded the rest of her song with a hearty laugh and the raising of her arms, she proceeded to twirl around and after the third and final movement, and turned around, though lasting for a short notice as her eyes widened upon discovering someone catching her on the act.

Brushing off the redness of her cheeks, she quietly approached the swordsman. “So, you’ve caught me again, huh?” She replied, emitting a nervous smile as she lightly scratched her flushed right cheek. “Let me guess, you want me to sing for you?”

She waited for an answer for him, expecting—and secretly—waiting for him to affirm it. Annette watched as Felix took a step forward, but as she slowly retreated, he was quick to take another step and leaning in, brought his hands forward.

Annette froze, blushing harder as Felix settled on seizing the back of her hoodie, and carefully slid it over her head, pulling it down a bit further until it reached her open forehead. And when all was done, Felix gave her a small smile. “Worry first about yourself," He murmured, his hands still on each side of her hood, "If you don’t bundle up, you’ll catch a cold,”

Annette gulped, closing her mouth and awkwardly shook her head. "Oh, uh, thank you," She stammered, bowing respectfully, hands placed on her heated face as she went silent, still trying to process on what just happened. Shyly, she peered up to glance at him, and when she found him silently admiring the whole landscape of the snow-covered patio, encouraged herself to leap. Going on her tip-toes, she seized his hoodie as well, and as she attempted to bring it down, Felix caught on to this, reacting stunned at first but after a few seconds, eventually loosened his shoulders and allowed her to continue.

He cleared his throat as he looked the other way, the tiny tufts of furs tickling his cheeks. “There we go,” Annette cried, withdrawing back and clapping her hands in delight. “Now you won’t get cold either,”

“Mhm…” Felix hummed, the left corners of his lips slightly twitching. “Thank you,” A pause. “It’s getting cold,” He points out, casting her a glimpse. “We should head back—”

“And let all of this snow go to waste?”

Felix gave her a look. “Is that why you were outside in the first place?” When he gained a nod, he frowned. “I thought you were out here to sing,”

“Well, yeah,” Annette replied, tracing her left boot along the snowy ground. “But come on! Considering we live in the frigid north, you must have fond memories playing in the snow when you were a child," Reflecting on her youth, a goofy grin appeared across her face.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Getting caught again, Annette blushed. "Oh, it's just…" She trailed off, twirling her finger around a strand of her hair, "Since I was a little girl, I always had a soft spot for this kind of weather and because I was an only child, I had my parents and uncle with me. It was fun, though. Best times I had way back when."

A memory resurfaced, and it was of her as a toddler, and together with her parents and uncle, were bundled up in heavy layers as they dashed off to marvel at the fallen snow. She remembered fondly of their time playing outside—building igloo forts, gathering snow to make snowmen, make snow angels, and then partake in snowball fights.

Her mother and father smiling earnestly, embracing one another as they stood near the entrance of their house, fondly watching their poor daughter aggressively tossing a few snowballs at her uncle, who laid on the white layer of the soiled ground, yelling for his niece to stop through his fit of laughter…and how afterward, the four of them would settle near the fireplace, drinking hot chocolate with her father and uncle sharing stories of their childhood, and of her and her mother exchanging glances at each other in the background while the older males would constantly attempt to correct the other's narrative.

But it didn’t end there.

This time, Annette found herself transported in the School of Sorcery, becoming welcomed with a barricade of more memories and instead of her family, it was Mercedes whom she remembered befriending quickly in the first few months. During one of their spare times after classes, with most of the students idly passing by the large courtyard…Annette couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the immensely covered white backdrop of freshly, fallen snow and with a big smile on her face, full of energy and delight, was the first to step into the unknown and collecting some bits and particles of the soft snow, spotted her best friend standing near one of the pillars, calling out her name in concern, only to be taken by surprise when a snowball was aimed directly at her.

A wide smile appeared on Annette’s face, knowing full well the extent of her consequences that came after…that look on Mercie and her glistening eyes, and as she brushed off the remaining snow off of her, briskly strode into the courtyard and squatting to her knees, was already producing a large pile of snowfalls to initiate her revenge on the latter.

Soon enough, the situation was transitioned with the two girls chasing each other in the courtyard, smiling and laughter without care.

The same feeling, and the same moment could be seen back at Garreg Mach, with a few additions such as Ashe, Ingrid, Sylvain, the majority of the Golden Deer, Caspar from the Black Eagles and even Professor Byleth—together, storming in and out of the hallways, to the open gardens and through the maze of the dormitories…each and every person who was there to contribute in on the fun, bursting with laughter, smiles everywhere.

Her smile turned sentimental.

Such precious memories…they felt so long ago.

While Annette was preoccupied with her thoughts, she failed to catch Felix silently squatting to his knees and taking a handful of snow, started pressing it to form a decent-looking ball. Rising to his feet, he hid the snowball behind him and casually made his way over to her.

Felix poked her on the shoulder, and as Annette jerked her head, something hit her on the back.

“Ah!” She yelped, jumping up from her spot. Right away, she laid her eyes on the swordsman who leisurely walked while looking away, though the smirk slipping on his lips caught him red-handed.

Annette puffed her cheeks, and then an idea struck her. Grinning, she quickly went down and started collecting snow. But while doing so, another snowball struck her on the side, causing her to fall to her bottom. “Felix!” She exclaimed, an interchangeable mix of irritation and glee. Rising to her feet with two well-made snowballs in her possessions, she darted her full concentration on the latter who was already running off. “Hey! Come back here!”

And chased after him, laughing away as she poorly attempted to toss one ball after another, skidding to a quick halt to hide under the bushes to assemble more. On the other side was Felix collectively doing the same thing, sheltered behind the willow tree and ensuring his safety by retaining his composure. A rush of adrenaline seeped through his veins, and he, funnily enough, couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

Juggling one of the snowballs in his hands, he scooted closer to the edge of the tree and looked out—just in time to get hit straight in the face.

“Yes, yes, yes! Ha-ha!” He could hear Annette cry out from nearby, imagining her probably bouncing up and down adorably. “One point for me!”

Wiping the white, powdered particles off his face, Felix rolled his eyes.

“Lucky shot,” He grumbled, blowing out the dark fringes of his hair. His ears picked up the sound of pacing footsteps. Alarmed, he sprang back into action, jolting upright from the ground, and reclaiming one of the snowballs in his grip, smirked the moment he found the cheerful young woman entered his field of vision with her own set of snowballs cradled in her arms.

Back on his feet, Felix forced himself to sprint faster, hoping to get behind her in time to catch her off-guard but to his luck, Annette caught wind of this and twisting her heel, scurried in the other direction. They were getting closer to each other, and in an act of eagerness, the pair initiated a surprise attack—Annette on the left, frantically throwing snowball after snowball, and at the opposing end, Felix managed to slide to the closest shrub and hid behind there, waiting for her to run out of ammo and seize the moment when she had to gather more.

A minute passed and as he predicted, heard the muffled shuffling of Annette hysterically reproducing more snowballs in the middle of their little battlefield—she was out in the open, no defenses, nor firepower to fend for herself.

Felix smirked, a low chuckle escaping his lips. This was all too easy. He jumped out from his hiding spot, ready to end their game once and for all, but the moment he exposed himself, he found himself plummeting backward and his world spinning.

His body met the ground, though luckily, the snow saved him from his supposedly broken fall. Felix grunted, feeling the pain swelter through him with his chest getting the most hit. For some reason, something warm was radiating on top of him—wait.

Tipping his head, he slowly craned his head to look up and there, lying on top of him, was a blob of bright marmalade, a pair of big, blue eyes and a twinkling smile to accompany it.

“Gotcha!” Annette cried aloud, clapping her hands as she laughed away. “The great, young Lord Fraldarius has fallen!” Beaming, she thrusts her other arm high into the air, basking in the glory of her triumph. “Long live the reigning champion, Lady Dominic!”

Felix simply laid there, not bothering to move and kept skill as he listened to the free-spirited woman go on with her wild uproar.

Her fiery, red hair tousling in the wind.

Her rosy cheeks, albeit—swollen and glossy due to getting hit by one of his snowballs, contributed to the burning mess of her expressive visage.

And lastly, her lips, plump and inviting, and for a good few minutes, he had almost lost control of himself, resisting the desire to pull her down and kiss her right then and there.

But Felix held it in, as it should be. He exhaled a long, exasperated sigh.

Dear Goddess, this beautiful woman in front of him would surely be the cause of his death.

“You okay?”

He looked up to face her, a clear image of Annette staring back at him with worry, and he returned to reality.

"…Yeah," He managed to say and clearing his throat, echoed the same word for verification.

Annette continued to stare at him, folding her arms as she puffed out her chest, still unconvinced by his words. It wasn’t long until she realized that she was still sitting on top of him that she quickly got up and recoiled a few steps away. "Oh, uh—" She was flustered, nibbling the bottom of her lip as she tried to steady herself. "I apologize, I forgot I was—" She shook her head, and leaning forward, reached out her hand for him to take. "Felix," She addressed his name, and when the latter heard it, he held his breath. "Come, take my hand,"

And he did. But as he seized her hand with his, he had other plans in mind.

Felix pulled her in, and she squeaked, eyes widening and blushing furiously as she found herself landing back on his chest. She didn’t have time to comprehend what was going on. Something pulled her hoodie, blocking her sight but before she could react to it, something warm and soft lightly touched her lips.

It was brief yet short, the slight tingling sensation on her lips still there. After that, silence.

Collecting herself, Annette slowly pushed her hoodie a little back, and hesitantly looked up, found Felix staring intensely at her, a bit shaken, his breathing uneven, and just like her, was burning in the heat. The swirls of emotion embedded in his eyes stunned her.

Gazing into each other’s eyes, they remained soundless for so long.

Finally, it dawned to her.

Wait a minute.

Did he just—

“F-Felix, you—”

He took her first kiss.

“You don’t like it?”

His voice was a mere whisper yet was loud enough for her to hear. He sounded almost…afraid, vulnerable even. Her heart skipped a beat. Could this man truly be the same Felix that she knew—distant, abrasive, and—

“I-uh…”

Annette opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again. She inhaled a deep breath, and when she brought a hand close to her right ear, was startled to find another hand, and she went still again, sucking in all the air she possibly could as she felt one of Felix’s fingers carefully tuck a loose strand behind the back of her ear. And as he did so, let his hand gently slide along the surface of her slightly swollen, crimson right cheek. She shivered at his touch, biting her bottom lip hard.

To her surprise, Felix kept his hand there on her cheek, his fingers stroking along the small bumps and bruises with a softened gaze.

Annette swallowed thickly, bringing her hands close to her chest.

This wasn’t happening, right?

Someone, please tell her this was nothing more than a dream—

“May I?”

Her heart skipped a beat, and inhaling a deep breath in, Annette snuck a peek at him, noticing how he fixed his gaze on her lips. She watched as he slowly leaned in, brushing the tip of his nose close to hers.

“Please, Annette?”

Listening to his words, her eyes shimmered.

If this was a dream, then maybe…

With one look and a soft nod, Annette closed their eyes, leaning a bit closer, and taking notice of this, Felix did the same, brushing his lips with hers and then reclaiming them for the second time.

Like the first, it was innocent, slow and soft, comforting in ways words could never express. His hand was still on her cheek, his thumb caressing the same ear he had tucked away from the strand of hair as their breaths mingled. In response, Annette reached out to grab the fabric of his winterberry coat, her hands clutching it tightly as if her life depended on it.

Finally, they separated, bringing their moment to a close. They remained in place, Felix looking at her lovingly, eyes softening with such tenderness, it caught Annette off-guard. But she cracked a smile, relishing this rare moment between them. Removing his hand from her cheek, Felix snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close, while hers naturally locked around his neck and doing the same thing, firmly locked in unity.

Next thing they knew, they were in on it again, this time, with Annette taking the command to slam her lips with his and nearly knocking the wind out from his lungs. Feeling bold, she brought a hand to the back of his neck, letting her fingers linger along with his ruffled, dark ponytail. In retaliation, Felix slanted his head further, deepening their kiss and earning a low moan out of her.

It was electrifying and addicting, unlike anything they’ve ever experienced.

Once more, they pulled apart and looked at each other for the umpteenth time. The sound of their heart was pounding thunderously, they couldn’t seem to concentrate properly, ready to explode at any minute now.

But after a light snort and a burst of follow-up laughter from Annette, Felix managed to smile, and leaned again, resting their foreheads together.

“Wow…” was all Annette could say, her breathing uneven.

“You could say that again,” Felix agreed with her, in the same state as her.

And as they gazed one more time at one another, the silence was quick to dissipate as Annette broke into a bright smile, while Felix shook his head, settling with resting his head along the crook of her neck and with an impish smirk, planted a kiss along her exposed skin, causing his partner to squeak.

“Felix!” Annette cried, elbowing him.

Feeling content with himself, Felix leaned back, snickering lightly to himself as he inhaled her intoxicating scent.

At long last, they had finally reached the beginning of something new.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes the end of the seventh chapter. I must say, we finally cracked something good here--Felix and Annette have finally kissed! And not just the first time! At least three times!
> 
> Now, I would like to take a moment to say that as of today, I would be updating every weekend--anything random, so long as it's fire emblem three houses community. But I guarantee you, that you would be seeing this multichapter story consistently updating, especially since we're actually close to the finale--we are in chapter seven, and as estimated, chapter ten would be the conclusion.
> 
> For those who managed to wait patiently for the next update, thank you all so much! I came back to find out that we have reached 1600+ hits and 127 kudos! I would like to take the time to recognize the new readers who left kudos/comments--Capricorns_Fanfare, KayMoon24, novastral, frik1000, vosien, GupTheCatLover, ChronoXtreme, piikelle, Melody55, Flatter_Sine, NintenLady909, Maqoto, Flashyhero, RavioRavioli, lunaves, pearlrose250, Shouheii, Shireimi, idotp1, hernobleness, and the new 68 guests! Thank you all so much for your constant support!!
> 
> Oh and also, this is going to be random, but I would like to thank Kung Fu Panda/Shrek OST for the music--without them, I wouldn't have actually written this new chapter! If you can, please take the time to listen to the OST along with this new chapter! 
> 
> As promised, I would do my best to deliver great content in the future.  
Be sure to keep your eyes open!
> 
> If you'd like, feel free to comment below and/or leave kudos! They are greatly appreciated!
> 
> That's all for now!  
As always, have a wonderful day!


	8. Words to Believe In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *last update was on September 13, 2019 (5-6 months)
> 
> Whoops!
> 
> Hey, this is Kroisssant!  
I'm happy to say that after many requests, I've decided to go back and continue writing this amazing series (and finally steering it into gear)! Now what makes this update a little differently, you ask?
> 
> Simple: I had a dream of it, and cried (--my main motivation!), well that but also the pandemic outbreak (basically, if I get alot of stress, I just jump into my writing to escape from reality)
> 
> I would like to take a moment to thank you, my readers, for waiting and for supporting me thus far (a special shoutout to Ruri from Twitter/and one of our two new admins from our felannie discord server!)
> 
> Before you read, I recommend listening to this song for the remainder of the chapter--  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf8NV8lz1zg
> 
> Okay, that's enough from me!
> 
> ENJOY!!!

Sandwiched between the bookcases, Felix leans his back up against a wall with a thick book at hand.

While flipping through the pages, every so often, his sharp pair of eyes would spare glances at the oh-so-obvious blob of orange and white bouncing from one end of the large library to the next.

He watches her from a distance, ogling at how playful her fiery, bright curls seem to bounce, all the down to her shaking, wide hips. Her sweet, sweet humming whistles into his ears like how a buzzing honey bee would seek a flower.

Closing his book and tucking it away under his right armpit, Felix crosses his arms as he makes himself comfortable on the spot. He waits a little more, admiring his assistant who was so clearly invested in the non-lyrical jingle she made up on the spot.

_Doesn’t sound like the ones she sang before, _He wonders, genuinely curious, _Could this be new?_

“BAH!”

A loud thump follows, startling Felix.

Right away, he rushes to the scene, only to find Annette on the floor with many thick books littered around her.

“What happened?”

Annette chuckles nervously, sticking out her tongue. “Guess I sorta got a bit carried away,”

Felix rolls his eyes and shoots her a softer gaze. "Be careful next time," And reaches his hand out for her to take.

Smiling, Annette accepts it, her heart racing. She lets Felix pull her up from the ground effortlessly, biting her bottom lip hard as she tries to shoo away the fluttery feeling in her stomach.

Getting back on her feet, Annette flashes Felix a cheery look. “Thank you so much!”

Felix blushes, looking down and away from her. “...Yeah,”

A prolonged and general silence followed.

“Umm...Felix?”

“Yes?”

“H-how long are you going to hold my hand?” She asks innocently, gesturing at their intertwined hands.

Felix turns red. “Oh! Uh...” He gently lets go of her, already missing the pleasant warmth of her hand bonded with his. Clearing his throat, he rakes through his hair. Goddess, this was unnerving. He couldn’t seem to think clearly or have any clue about what to do next. 

Could it be possible that she felt it, the thumping beat of his heart pulsating under his fingertips?

Curiosity takes over, and Felix slyly glances her way. He swallows, unsure if his eyes are playing tricks on him.

“Annette?”

“Yes?”

“Your face. It’s very red.”

Annette blinks and starts patting on her red, chubby cheeks. When she feels the burning heat, she squeaks, quickly covering her vermillion face.

At this, Felix chuckles.

“Ugh, Felix! Stop teasing me!” She pouts, peeking through the tiny spaces of her fingers to glare at him. “Y-your whole face is red too, you know!”

On cue, Felix burns redder. “No, it’s not!”

“Yes, it is!” Annette accuses him and breaks from her shell. Her face brightens and as she points a finger right at him, smiles widely. "Look at the mirror!"

Felix clicks his tongue, arms folded as he turns away.

He tries his best to preserve his stone-cold demeanor, though it always seems to crumble whenever she's close to him. Not that he minds at all.

With her overstaying for one more month at his home, his sensible teasing and her comical outburst always brought some sense of joy and pride in him.

Day after day, Annette made him feel more human. The cold, lonely place of the military based castle he calls his home became tolerable to live in, with the taunting ghosts of his past slowly vanishing now that she was here to fill his life with her boundless cheer.

Felix clenches his fists, fighting the urge to leak out a hint of a smile the more he hears her endearing laughter. The left corner of his mouth twitches irritably by the second, and by that point, a tiny, crooked smile slips out.

Again, Felix whips his head around to fix his gaze on Annette. He melts at the sight of her still laughing her head off, now covering her mouth and close to the brink of tears.

The memory of their first kiss was no more than two days ago, under the gentle, falling snow and with nobody else but just the two of them.

Here they were again, alone and intimate, walls crumbling and more comfortable with each other than ever before. Since the incident, there’s been an odd wavelength going on between them. The changes were subtle—the shy, accidental brushes of their elbows, hands grazing over the other, and the lingering exchanges of stares.

Yet, nothing has happened since.

The attraction was painfully obvious—their first, second, and third kiss being proof of that—but the discussion of where they were now, and where to go from there was one, they haven’t touched upon as of yet.

The pair worked continuously, prioritizing their duties for a good while, and keeping their relations as simply Lord and assistant.

Thankfully, everyone except for Felix and Annette was unable to pick up.

Now it’s happening again—the urge to close the gap and experience a whole new world of sensation once more.

Claiming his book and placing it on a table behind him, Felix makes the first move. He leans in, ever so stealthily, eyes locked solely on Annette.

Annette was quick to sense his strange behavior, meeting his eyes with a goofy grin. But as she looks up, the same grin fades and is replaced with a frown.

“Felix?”

Felix advances, his gaze softening as he sets one arm ahead of her, latching his fingers on one of the bookcase shelves and letting it stay there. Annette freezes her face bright red as a ripe tomato. He doesn't utter a word but simply looks at her with a strange amount of fondness.

And just like that, Annette finds herself reliving a certain memory.

“F-Felix?”

“Red…”

“What?”

“You’re so red,” Felix points out in a teasing tone, and playfully pokes her wide forehead.

Annette puffs her cheeks, glowering at him. “Really? This again?” She protests, “Nuh-uh! Not falling for it!”

“Falling for what?”

“Y-you know!”

Felix grins boyishly and leans closer into dangerous territory. “Know what?”

Annette swallows, recoiling away. Three steps in and her back hit the bookcase, signaling her cornered state.

Two hearts sang in a tumultuous rhythm, hammering jaggedly and unevenly as their eyes clashed with one another, one with a hidden intent and another with wavering hesitancy. Annette tries to cover her burning red face again, but Felix stops her, seizing her wrist.

Annette holds her breath in, veering at the ground as she tries to make sense of what’s going on.

Something soft presses her forehead, catching her off-guard.

When Annette peers up, she’s startled to find Felix’s nose almost touching hers, and how beautiful he was looking back at her with an awfully, peaceful gaze.

Oh, no.

The same sensation from before was returning, and in a manner of seconds, Annette could already picture what was about to happen next.

She quickly raises her arms, bracing herself as she’s ready to block her view of him—

“Don’t,”

Annette completely stills, her legs shaking and breathing heavy. His sultry, low voice was so close, his breathing was so close, and _he _was so, so, _so _close to her, how could she possibly—

“Look at me, Annette,”

Annette whimpers, shaking her head.

“Look at me, please,”

And she does.

The color of amber pierces her heart, her soul, her very being.

“You know…”

“Hmm?”

“We haven’t talked about this _thing_ between us,”

Annette nods stiffly. “Oh, right,” She mumbles, clasping and unclasping her hands constantly. She fidgets in her spot, biting her lower lip nervously. “I mean, I’ve never been in a relationship before, so this is all quite...sort of...new to me,”

Hearing this, Felix inwardly smirks.

“What about you, Felix?”

“Same here,” He says more confidently.

Now it’s Annette’s turn to blush. “Felix, I—”

Once she opens her mouth to speak, in a swift motion, Felix captures her lips.

Just like before, it was soft, sweet, and delicate.

Annette sighs, feeling lighter, and blissful. For a moment, she could’ve sworn she magically grew a set of angel wings and was floating in midair. Seconds into the kiss and Annette wishes to take the extra step and dive deeper in, only for her thoughts to get cut short as Felix withdraws back.

Felix collects himself, easing his breathing pattern but keeps his eyes fixed on her cute, small lips. He licks his own, clearly dead set of rewarding her with another if she so desires.

Heat rises from her chest to her neck as Annette tries to process what just happened. "So, uh…" She trails off, smiling widely despite her blushing state. "That was...wow, huh?"

“Did you like it?”

Returning to reality, Annette gulps and looks up to face him. "Like what?" She asks dumbly.

Felix shrugs lamely, sweeping his right foot from side to side. “You know…”

“Hmm?”

“What we just did…” He trails off, his voice fading into a whimper. “Did you not like it?”

Oh?

And then it finally hits her. _Oh._

She shifts her sights at the man patiently waiting for her response, and slowly, a smile spreads across her face.

Annette puts a finger under her chin. “I’m not quite sure,” She murmurs, looking up at the ceiling as she pretends to contemplate. “I could...maybe use a second take?”

“A second take?”

“Yup!” Annette confirms, beaming. “A second kiss, maybe?”

That was all Felix needed to dive back in, ready to show her just how much she meant to him...but his overexcitement to do so backfires on him. Blinded by his desires, he nearly misses his target as his sharp nose bumps against her small one. Embarrassed, he bashfully pulls back and meets Annette's twinkling, blue eyes.

Annette grins cheekily as he recoils, naturally stepping in to fill in his role.

“Here, let me,” Going on her tip-toes, she snatches his black collar and tugs him forward, and this time, is the one to exert her dominance. Lips smashing, and Felix reacts in a low growl—soft, moist, sloppy and breathy—seeking union and closeness, the sharing of one breath, and one timeless, passionate moment, one that’s meant for them and only them.

Heat rises in Annette’s cheeks as she feels his tongue timidly enter her mouth, quick and electric and delicious. She moans midway, angling her head and diving back to deepen the kiss. As Felix hoists her up from the messy floor, Annette naturally snakes her arms and legs around his neck and waist—the urge to feel and be with each other grew more and more by the minute.

This was it, everything they could dream of.

Just the two of them, together and alone, enjoying one of the rarest moments in their busiest weeks that month.

After what felt like an eternity, Felix finally breaks off, breathing heavily as he settles his forehead against hers.

“So?”

Annette covers her mouth, collecting her breath as she glances at him in a dazed state. “So?” She echoes back with uncertainty.

Felix licks his wet lips, spellbound by her glistening, blue eyes. “How about now?”

For the third time that afternoon, Annette rewards him with another one of her lovely, toothy smiles. “Better than the first, second, or third,” She jokes, grinning from ear to ear. She loosens her hold around his neck to cup his face and leaning in to make their foreheads touch.

“Should we?” She mumbles, fumbling with her words as she drowns deep into his eyes. “I mean, could we…”

“Only if you want it to be,”

Annette smiles and meekly nods. "I do," She answers breathlessly, "You?"

“I want this,” He says out of the blue, making her blush. “This thing we have. I want it to happen,”

“Then let’s make it happen,” She replies without thinking. “Let’s make it work,”

Felix closes the small space between them, nuzzling his nose along the crook of her neck.

A low rumble vibrates from her skin and Annette giggles, gently caressing his silk, dark hair. When she looks down, she smiles brightly, simply awed by his burning, red face.

“You are still red, you know,” She says, pinching his cheek.

Felix huffs, coiling away from her neck to quickly peck her small, button nose, earning an adorable squeal from the woman.

Tightening his hold on her waist, Felix looks up and smiles—a smile merely identical to hers. "I won't hold back anymore," He says truthfully, and brings her down, carefully setting her feet on the floor. His gaze remains unwavering, fierce and bold he looks on. "So you better prepare yourself,"

Annette blushes at his words. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Felix chuckles, shaking his head. He kisses her one last time, brushing her now swollen lips with his thumb before crouching down to pick up her books. “You’re just gonna have to wait and see,”

Annette frowns, still burning red.

Sighing, she joins him on the floor, clearly disappointed in his lack of answer...and yet, she can’t seem to wipe off the bright smile on her face. She glances his way and grins, and as she goes on to gather more books, she doesn't catch the fond gaze he was giving to her when she wasn't looking.

* * *

With the last drop of the sun descending behind the vast, white-covered mountains, nightfall came fast-approaching.

Winter came early, blessing the Fraldarius land with another thick blanket of snow.

Per request by the young Lord, small troops of soldiers were quickly sent to the nearby hamlets to tend the elderly and those who may seek extra guidance. The outdoor training grounds were briefly suspended for the next three days, leaving a few stragglers to care for their horses in the stables or return home to their waiting families.

Aside from the house servants and guards taking turns on their nightly patrols and duties, the fortress, for the most part, was devoid of many wanderers.

Felix yawns, closing the door of his office shut. He walks ahead, keeping his hand on his sword while inspecting almost every little corner he could find in the dark, gloomy halls.

The silence drags on, and quite often, he'll stop to nod at the passing guards and some of the house servants turning in for the night. As he turns to another corner, his steps get heavier, echoing loudly across the end of the halls.

It was never-ending, and there seems to be no way out.

Felix inhales sharply, ignoring the sinking, queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The coming of winter meant the holidays.

Holidays—which includes family, friends, and other loved ones and simply being together in the comfort of each other’s presence.

The thought of his own family forced Felix to stop walking.

He stares blankly at the carpeted flooring, brows furrowing as he tries recalling the last time, he celebrated the holidays with his father. It was precisely one year ago, and Felix remembers the two of them working hard in the office, trying to catch up with the many demands from the neighboring hamlets, begging for more reinforcements against the invading bandits and other potential threats from the Adrestian forces.

Drowning in their work, the two men were forced to cast aside the supposed celebration of the holiday. It was uneventful, to say the least, but Felix would never forget the assuring smile of his father, patting him on the shoulder and wishing him a happy new year.

—Now he was gone.

“Father…”

Felix grits his teeth, shaking his head and trudges forward. His fear of the past catching up was dreadfully frightening, chilling him to the bone.

On cue, a glimmer of light shines brightly from a distance and Felix hastens a little more. Away from the darkness and into the light, he rushes out, breathing unsteady.

“Felix?”

Quickly, Felix spots a baffled-looking Annette standing close to the rails of the balcony. “What are you doing here?”

Easing his nerves, he slowly steps out, making his way to her. “I could say the same for you,” Felix says bluntly, joining her.

Annette smiles and looks up at the cloudless night sky. "Just stargazing,"

Felix looks up as well and notices a few, tiny gleams of light fading in and out. "You sure they are stars?"

“Of course they are!” Annette replies excitedly, beaming like the sun she resembles, “Can you spot the Blue Sea Star?”

Felix raises an eyebrow. “The Blue Sea Star?”

Annette nods. "Uh-huh! It should be the brightest one you could find," She explains and then points a finger in another direction. "Oh, and right over here, a little bit to your north! Can you see it? That's called the King’s Right Hand!”

“Ah, I see,” Felix murmurs lowly, “You seem to know a lot about this,”

“When I was little, my uncle gave me a telescope. Almost every night, my mother and I would go outside, and name the stars using the constellation book we borrowed from the local library,” Annette goes on, her eyes glued on the stellar show before her. “Back when we were at the Officer’s Academy, whenever I had the time, I’ll stargaze,” A light giggle escapes her throat, “Sometimes Mercie, Ashe or even Lysithea would join in on the fun,”

Felix nods at her. Moving in a little closer, he eyes her quivering form. Unclasping his long, blue cape, he goes on to gently put it on her shoulders, surprising her.

Right away, Annette flashes him a worried look, her fingers gripping the fur collar. “Felix—”

A strong pair of arms wrap securely around her waist, alarming her.

“Don’t worry about me,” Felix whispers into her ear, his breathing tickling her bright, red cheeks. Pulling her close to his chest, he settles his chin on top of her head and breathes out a small puff of cold air. “You need it more than I do,”

Annette blushes furiously, holding her breath. She looks downward, and ever so slyly, slides her hands with his. To her shock and relief, he accepts it, gripping their hands together and placing them close to her chest.

Smiling, Annette snuggles herself into his warm embrace and sighs deeply. “Thank you,”

For the remainder of the hour, the pair kept close, with Annette educating Felix a ton of more information she learned and pointing out for him the many stars she could find.

Surprisingly, Felix enjoyed it.

And the more he spent time with Annette, the more he no longer feels afraid or alone. At this point, it was clear how much he values and appreciates her company, and as much as he’d hate to admit, he owed Sylvain for writing the letter that would ultimately put Annette into his life.

It took a while but at long last, they were finally here.

This whole thing between the two of them—it was new, refreshing, and exciting. Every single day, Annette would be there, encouraging him and staying by his side, giving new meaning and purpose in his complex life.

For the first time, Felix saw the world in a different light. With the passing of the war and peace reigning once more across the continent of Fódlan, he could finally get his chance to restore his family territory and focus on other things outside of military affairs.

Instantly, his eyes are set on the redhead.

**_“Star light, star bright~ Oh, first star I see tonight~”_** Annette begins to sing, soothing Felix and enrapturing his heart, **_“I wish I may, oh I wish with might~”_**

Swaying her head a little, Annette motions her fingers from side to side, in pair with how a conductor would do to enhance her musical performance. **_“Have the wish I wish tonight~ And make a wish and do what dreamers do~”_**

Peering up, Annette pokes a finger at Felix’s nose and giggles when he wrinkles it. **“_And all our wishes~” _**Eyes fixed only on him, she brings his large, cold hands close to her mouth and kisses the faint, little bruises and scars along his knuckles one after the other, “**_Will come true~”_**

Felix relaxes, the strawberry-shampoo scent on her hair making him feel surprisingly drowsy. He pulls her closer, with Annette nestled comfortably and just enough space for her to snuggle in deeper into his chest.

“Felix?”

“Hmm?”

“If you had one wish, what would it be?”

Felix lowers his gaze, amber eyes studying her intently. He stays like that quiet for a moment, a small lop-sided grin appearing across his face, “If I tell you, it won’t come true,” He teases her.

Annette makes a face. “Oh. That’s a good point,” She murmurs, loud enough for him to hear. “Some party-pooper you are,”

Felix chuckles at her silly comment. “I heard that,” He replies, pecking her again on the top of her head.

To his dismay, Annette moves back, flashing him a stern look. “Okay, but you must have one!” Annette persists, not refusing to back down, “Whether you tell me or not, you still need to make a wish!”

Felix sighs, cocking his head to the side. “Must I?”

Annette nods. "Yup! No ifs, ands, or buts, mister!" She lectures on, sounding serious. Turning her entire body around, she looks up to face her boyfriend properly with a resurfacing smile. "I know it's not really up your alley, but at least give it a try!"

Again, Annette whirls her head and this time looks up at the night sky.

Exhaling a breath, a fog of cold air emerges, only to vanish quickly as a light gale whips by. "It sounds silly, but to me, it gives me some sense of hope, you know? Not every wish I make comes true. But…” She brings her collected hands close to her chest, shutting her eyes as she prepares to make her wish. “If it comes from the heart and you wish with all your might, I’m sure it will come true!”

Felix simply observes her, awed by her innocent way of thinking. What an odd woman she was. And yet, for some strange reason, it only fuels his desire to be with her.

With her, the world became a little better, and a little brighter.

With her, he could see a future unlike any other.

With her, there was no need for barriers—her hand holding his being more than what he could hope for.

After twenty-two long years, Felix could finally admit that with her, he could be happy.

Breathing in, Felix closes his eyes tight,

_I wish…_

He thinks it over, trying hard not to make it too difficult or elaborate. It was just one wish, right? But if he was going to make one, he needed to at least make a tiny bit of effort.

_I wish…_

An image of Annette smiling emerges from the back of his mind, calming him. He swallows hard, lowers his chin, and makes a wish.

** _To the goddess above, or some other being,_ **

** _If anyone up there could listen to me…_ **

** _I have one wish that I want to make._ **

** _And no matter what, I implore you to make it happen._ **

** _And I’ll do anything._ **

** _For once, I’ll obey._ **

** _Because this woman...she means the whole world to me._ **

A light pull from his sleeve caused Felix to reopen his eyes and look down.

At the sight of Annette and her smile, all his thoughts disappear.

“So? Did you make a wish?”

Felix softens his eyes, cracking a tiny smile. “I did,” And gently tugs her, burying his face into her bright, orange hair and hoping to never let her go.

"Whatever it is, I hope it comes true!" She comments, her words somewhat muffled.

Felix nods silently, breathing shakily. "I do too..."

** _If I can’t be by her side…_ **

** _Or if at any point, I can’t be with her…_ **

** _Please spare her_ ** **—**

** _And give her the happiness she deserves._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of chapter eight!
> 
> As promised, because this is a slow-burn fic -- just because they kissed in the previous chapter, doesn't mean it's end-game~  
But please! Take a moment to relax and enjoy it because more things are coming!!
> 
> Next chapter will be drafted and will DEFINITELY be published a lot sooner than the 5-6 month gap (I'm still so terribly sorry about that)
> 
> The song Annie was singing came from Wishes by the Disney World soundtrack (--the introduction part! This song is one of my favorites to date, so I hope you all enjoy!)
> 
> Oh and also, to continue with this tradition:
> 
> AHEM!
> 
> THANK YOU FOR THE FOLLOWING READERS:
> 
> AnoraRose, StillWorKonit, VietFirestar, Meapla, Dynast (unfresh), bossassfish, LunaClefairy, kirbyrules20, thetsunderemage, theindiegeek, Yureihime, ajstyling, Skyla_Cordelia, helnis, Neve01, Baalzamon, Maihimei, AniM8dManga13, souprat, Sleepy_Bird, teritanxoxo, AdmiralMitts, EuphoricHuman, Ankarie, LadyJessa, Cyllia_Yue, a_diangelo, BestName_Ever, damedarkhat, traumereis, Kaydreamer, Klaes, Liliumlupus, Ehesister, tortinted, earthtokylie, yuesita, Dead_Spike, hani88, Capricorns_Fanfare, KayMoon24, novastral, frik1000, vosien, GupTheCatLover, ChronoXtreme, piikelle, Melody55, Flatter_Sine, NintenLady909, Maqoto, Flashyhero, RavioRavioli, lunaves, pearlrose250, Shouheii, Shireimi, idotp1, hernobleness, Venrajade, RetconRenegade, Xion0102, CaramellCrush, Asakura1213, matchamida, Bruh_Noises, Kamizuko, and the 100 more guests who went ahead and commented/gave kudos!
> 
> Thank you so so much! Your support means a whole lot, and is very appreciated!


	9. Dusk till Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, another update for Steak and Cake!  
More fluffy/intimate scenes with Felannie!
> 
> Okay, let's dive in!

* * *

Another day, another heavy workload in the office.

Dipping her quill pen in the ink jar, Annette scribbles meticulously on her wax tablet, recording the latest issues and requests collected by the scouting troops from the previous weekend.

Felix quietly sits across from her, skimming through the demands of the neighboring minor lords and approving them. The silence dragged on in the room, with the pair engrossing themselves in their duties.

A growling sound erupts, prompting them to exchange looks.

Annette bursts into a fit of laughter.

Felix tips his head. “That was you?”

Annette grins cheekily, nodding.

“You skipped lunch, didn’t you?”

He breathes out a low sigh. He watches his girlfriend squirm nervously in her seat, refusing to look at him in the eye. She’s trying hard not to answer, but the guilty look on her face was blatantly obvious.

Felix tears his eyes away from her, checking the grandfather clock.

Almost a quarter to six.

Felix rises from his chair. “I’ll be right back,” And walks out of the office before he could get a response from her.

Dashing through the halls at a swift pace, he hurries down the staircase. A few more twists and turns and he finally enters the large kitchen, where a lively group of men and women were busy preparing for supper.

“Lord Fraldarius!”

Immediately, the rest of the kitchen crew acknowledges him, and politely bows their heads in greeting.

Felix nods curtly. “Working hard, I see,” He comments, emitting a small smile at each and every crew worker on sight as he navigates through the space of the kitchen. “What are we having tonight?”

“Sweet and salty Whitefish sauté and Turnip stew, my Lord!” A young girl cries, running up to him with a wide grin. “And sweet bun trio for dessert!”

Felix lowly chuckles, eyes softening at her pure innocence. “They sound appetizing,” He replies, then looks up to meet the gaze of the main chef. “If I may, I’ll be taking my portion back to my office,”

The male chief beams. “Certainly, my Lord! Would you like us to assist you?”

“There is no need,” Felix makes his way toward the long, narrow table where a large quantity of food is already on display.

The same girl from before follows suit, presenting him with a silver tray, big enough for him to put four plates.

Again, Felix thanks the girl for her help with a playful tousle of her hair. Shifting his attention to the table, he takes two plates of the main dishes, slices of loaf bread and butter, and an extra helping of dessert for Annette.

Bidding the kitchen crew farewell, Felix takes off, walking up the staircase while balancing the assortment of food. Luckily, he didn’t close his office door entirely, easily slithering inside without notice.

To his amusement, Annette was back to jotting down her notes.

Felix leisurely glides through the room, careful not to interrupt her work. As soon as he placed the tray on their shared desk, Annette looked up.

Her five-second non-verbal reaction was priceless—going from being frightened, confused, and then flat out mesmerized—all at the drop of a hat. Her wide, toothy smile struck him in the heart, forcing him to seat down quickly before his legs could kiss the ground.

“Oh my gosh! Felix! Where’d you get all this?”

“The kitchen, of course,” He states lamely, clearing his throat. “Come on, let’s take a break and eat,”

Annette nods eagerly, gathering her stuff and sliding them over to the side to make more space. Sitting properly, she watches in awe as Felix distributes the plates.

“Wah! Sweet trio bun!” She gushes, clapping childishly as she quickly scoops up the bonus dessert left on the tray. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Felix!”

“Finish your plate first before eating that,” He lectures, making her giggle.

“Okayyy~” Annette smiles, bobbing her head energetically. “Oh! I better go wash my hands first!” And quickly rose up to leave the office.

Felix watches her storm off, shaking his head as he, too, stands up to go to the washroom and follow her example.

* * *

Supper was delightfully pleasing, to say the least.

Just the two of them, eating their meals and intimately sharing stories—exactly how Felix envisions it to be. Topping it off was Annette’s infectious giggling naturally filled up the room, making Felix’s stomach tingle with sensation.

Her absurd way of eating—slicing the fish into small portions and then stuffing them one by one into her tiny mouth, her cheeks becoming round and puffy as she munches away—was strangely adorable, mirroring that of a chipmunk vouching for nuts in the winter. A rare spectacle, exclusively reserved for a few notable people.

And for Felix, he was internally prideful to be one of them.

“Felix!”

Blinking, he looks up. A chunk of fish was recklessly jabbed on a fork and was directed inches away from his closed mouth. In the background was a beaming Annette, the deep blue pools of her expressive, doe-like eyes glimmering with mischievous intent.

“Felix~” She says his name again in a playful manner. “Say ahh~”

Felix swallows hard. He leans forward, opening his mouth voluntarily. He mimics her childlike sound, closing it shut. Teeth touching metal, the sweet and savory taste of the fish exploding in his taste buds...and the faint saltiness of the aftermath.

“Good, right?”

“Mhm,” Felix hums in agreement. He refocuses his eyes at her, just in time to see her heart-shaped face illuminate.

His heart skips a beat.

“Here,” He starts, and offers her a fork with the same chunk of fish she was currently eating. “You too,”

Annette eagerly complies, leaning in to get a taste of the bite-size food.

Felix smirks, quickly pulling it back.

“Hey! No fair!” Annette pouts, puffing her cheeks. “Felix!”

At this, Felix stifles a chuckle. _Too cute._

“Fine, here,” And presents her again with his fork.

Annette lit up, inclining her head a little more—

Felix withdraws the fork. Before Annette could protest, he molds into her, claiming what’s his. Hasty but very soft. Incredible and ever-lasting. Time went still for a moment.

When they finally pulled away, two minutes had already passed.

The lingering saltiness from the fish, her sweet taste mixed with his—blending well to create a fantastic, unexplored flavor for them to experience.

Felix stares at Annette who’s a bit dazed.

Without a word, he hands her the bite-size fish still on his fork.

Quick to recover, Annette beams again, gobbling the bite-size fish up before he could blink. She leans back, covering her mouth as she tries not to laugh at her baffled-looking boyfriend.

Felix veers at his fork, now empty with fish.

“Felix!”

He turns, features softening when he spots Annette offering him another one of her fish in return.

For the remainder of supper, both Felix and Annette took turns feeding one another—for Annette, she was often messing up or trying to make a game out of it, hoping to sneak a few kisses here and there.

Dizzy but overly satisfied, the pair finished their supper.

When dessert came, Felix exploded into a blushing mess.

It became more so when his ears picked up his girlfriend’s elicit humming and moaning.

“Sowww good!” She gushes, the lower half of her face entirely covered with dustings of white, sugary powder.

Felix chuckles at her childlike state. He takes a napkin from the tray and moves in to wipe it off.

“Felix! Why don’t you try some?”

“No thanks,”

Annette pouts. “You are seriously missing out, you know!”

“I don’t eat sweets,”

“Says the guy who ate a cake that one time,”

“That was one time,” Felix counters, shaking his head. “Lysithea’s recipe is an exception,”

Annette smiles brightly. “Good thing she taught me then!” She goes on, already getting her second helping of the delicious pastry. “Next time, I’ll prepare a special batch for you!”

Thankfully, the office was dimly lit by the flames coming from the fireplace, the dancing flames masking his equally scarlet face. “...I would like that,” He murmurs, close to a low whisper.

The thirteen minutes of bliss (and torture for Felix) came to a close.

“Thank you so much for the meal!”

Felix nods, switching gears to start collecting the now empty plates and bowls.

Annette rose up, sorting the utensils on the tray. When she tries to get a plate, Felix beats her to it.

“I’ll take care of the rest,” He assures, grabbing hold of the handles before she had the chance to do so. Once more, he rose up from his seat. “You should go and finish up your work. I’ll be back,”

Annette nods meekly. “Okay,” She replies, bowing her head, “I’ll be waiting then,”

Another grin naturally slips out. “Yeah,” As Felix hurries off to get out of the room, the sound of a chair scraping across the floor alarms him. Pausing abruptly, he turns around. From the corner of his eye, he spots a blob of orange and blue coming over.

Going on her tip-toes, Annette leans in, pecking him on his cheek.

Wide-eyed amber meets shimmering deep blue.

“That’s for the meal,” Annette speaks up, stepping away fiddles with her hands. “Thank you so much again for being so thoughtful and considerate,”

Felix nods dumbly, the words trapped in his throat. "N-no problem," He stammers, his voice slightly cracking. "I'll be back shortly," And off he went, heading out the door and into the hallways. His entire face, back of the neck, and ears are burning in heat.

“Ah, My Lord! You’ve returned!”

Felix skids to a halt, his thoughts getting cut off the moment he unconsciously enters the kitchen.

“How’s the meal? Did you like it?”

“Yes, very,” Felix answers without hesitation. “Thank you, Bernard. As expected from the finest chefs in the Kingdom,”

Bernard laughs boisterously. “I see, I see,” He replies, nodding along. “Then I take it Miss Annette liked it as well?”

The image of Annette happily consuming her portion of the sweet bun trio made his heart beat faster.

Felix blushes. “Yes,” He murmurs, dipping his chin. “She adores your desserts, so if you can, please make more in the future,”

Bernard grins, giving him a thumbs up. “Will do, My Lord!”

Placing the tray in the sink, Felix bows his head and briskly wanders back into the empty hallways.

As he ascends up the stairs, he brings his hand over to his right cheek. He could still make out the warmness of Annette’s soft, moist lips, imprinted like a footprint on the sand. He takes a sharp breath in, closing his eyes. The stinging lingers, evenly in sync with his pounding heart.

Felix moves ahead, unaware of the goofy grin he wore as he returns to the office, where his girlfriend patiently waits for his return.

* * *

Another two long hours passed.

Felix manages to finish the last of his reports.

He sets his documents aside, clearing them away as he averts his sights to his assistant.

Annette nestled comfortably on the empty side of their shared study desk. Eyes closed, her head is gently laid on top of her folded arms, strands of her long bangs covering a good portion of her wide forehead, and a wake of drool leaking on the right corner of her mouth.

She snores away, her mouth hanging half-open while mumbling what it sounds to be an incoherent incantation.

Felix rolls his eyes. Standing up, he walks over to her. “Annette, wake up,”

“Mhmm…” She whimpers, sighing deeply. “Five...minutes more, please…”

Felix smiles. Bending his knees, he slowly scoops her up into his arms, careful not to wake her. She stirs, trying to readjust herself and using his chest as her pillow. Annette buries her face deeper into his chest, smiling lazily as she cozies up to him.

Flustered by her actions, Felix clears his throat. Eyes straight ahead, he carefully brings her to the small empty couch situated near the fireplace.

He lays her down gently, making sure her back touches the cushions before releasing her. Looking around, Felix manages to seize his long blue cape hanging idly on the side of the same furniture. He drapes it over her sleeping form, chuckling as he watches her naturally take ahold of it, pleasantly snuggled in the deep azure sea of the sumptuously thick, soft covering from head to toe.

Felix’s knees gave in, sinking deep on the carpet flooring. He doesn’t seem to care as his eyes are fixed at the sleeping beauty in front of him.

The constant rise and fall of her chest, the dancing orange and red flames lustrously radiating across her light freckled face, how her small body was a perfect fit, all snuggled up and secured in the heaps of the blanket.

A loose strand of hair drops to her forehead. Felix reaches out, tucking it away behind her right ear. His cold finger brushes along her skin, awed by how pleasantly warm she was.

As he retracts his hand, Annette catches it and brings it closer to her.

Felix breathes deeply and holds it in, his face burning crimson as he watches Annette use his hand as a makeshift pillow for herself.

Annette reacts to it, emitting a soft, sensational purr. She rubs her cheek repeatedly against the surface of his cold hand, transferring her warmness, and then gives in. Not a second later, Felix was rewarded with drool pooling in his hand, much to his dismay.

“What am I going to do with you, hmm?” He says, rolling his eyes as he stares at his sleeping girlfriend.

...Girlfriend, huh?

A rush of warmth crashes over him—calming, inviting, and spellbinding, just like her.

That’s right. This brilliant, goofy woman is his girlfriend...which makes him her boyfriend.

He is hers and she is his.

As Felix stares on, he could feel his eyes beginning to grow heavy. He stretches his other available arm out to her, pulling her in to hold her close. Once their foreheads touch each other’s, Felix relaxes, feeling at ease.

Annette cuddles into him, while he drowns in her natural fruity scent.

That night, Felix slept soundly—no nightmares, no ghosts of his past.

For the first time in a long while, he was at peace.

* * *

The promise of new dawn came slowly, followed by the brilliant blue sky of morning.

Natural light filters through the windows and curtains, scaring away the remnants of the darkness inside the office.

Felix stirs, eyes fluttering open.

Craning his head up, he sees her in all her glory—Annette’s face dangerously close to his own. He could feel the slow, steady beat of her heart, and her warm breath rupturing his hazy vision.

He's awake now, fully aware of his senses. He snickers at her still sleeping and goes to give another light peck, this time on the cheek.

“Pfft!”

Hearing this, Felix turns to the direction of the unusual noise.

A pair of bright brown eyes and trademark red hair came into focus.

Oh, no.

“Morning, lover boy!”

Oh, no.

“Don’t mind me here! Return to your daily canoodling,”

_Oh, no._

Carefully untangling himself from Annette, Felix rose from the ground. He clenches his teeth, already firing a death glare aimed at his taller childhood friend. His blood boiling with fury, Felix wanted to raise his voice right then and there.

One look back and he was instantly reminded of Annette.

Without thinking, Felix tugs Sylvain forcefully by the collar. “_Come with me_,”

Before Sylvain could protest, he was already getting dragged out the door.

“Woah, hey! Felix!” Sylvain cries, chuckling nervously. “Old pal! Please, go easy on me!”

Felix ignores his protests, his grip tightening as he drags the poor man deeper into the hallways. Far from the office, far away from _Annette _to give her the sleep she clearly deserves, the better.

Once they made it into the lounge room, the two men were welcomed by another familiar face.

“Ingrid?”

Turning around, the blonde female knight spots her childhood friends from a great distance. She flashes a smile at them, though was quick to turn into a frown the second she notices their situation.

“Felix! Are you mad? Release Sylvain! Now!”

Felix obeys without question, tossing Sylvain angrily into the ground.

He watches Sylvain dramatically gasp, coughing brashly. “N-nice one there!” He comments, doing his best to ignore the scorching pain in his throat.

Ingrid sighs, approaching them with a look of satisfaction. “Seriously. Must I remind you both that the two of you are fully-functioning adults?”

“He started it,” Felix interrupts, already pointing fingers at Sylvain who gawks at his frankness.

Ingrid shakes her head. “What did you do this time?”

“Look, all I wanted to do was check up on my old buddy Felix, okay?” Sylvain reasons, shedding light on his side of the story, “So I thought, maybe I should go ahead and surprise him in his office or whatever,” He glances at the brooding swordsman, then back at Ingrid with a lopsided grin and suggestive eyebrows. “But instead, he surprised me if you know what I mean,”

Ingrid gives him a look, her interest piqued.

“Enough with this nonsense!” Felix suddenly lashes, clearly peeved. “Why are the two of you here?” He huffs, raking his loose, dark hair in frustration. “There better be a good explanation to all this,”

His eyes venture a little downwards, checking Ingrid’s fingers for any signs of jewelry. And there it was—the sparkling ruby gem embedded on the shiny, silver band, perfectly bound on her ring finger.

“So you finally did it,” Felix starts, followed up by a nod. “Congrats.”

Sylvain beams. “Thanks!”

“And the ceremony?”

“Not yet,” Ingrid answers, taking a step forward. “Which is why we came here to pay a visit,”

Felix blinks, confused. “What do you mean?” His unanswered question lingers in the silence. He sighs, shaking his head. “Spill it out already. I don’t have all day,”

Both Sylvain and Ingrid exchange looks.

“Should we?” Sylvain offers, his voice noticeably softer.

Ingrid blushes, cracking a small smile. “You go first,”

Felix narrows his eyes, the anticipation and uncertainty eating him whole. The moment he felt their eyes set directly at him, he knew he should’ve kept his mouth shut.

* * *

Annette woke up alone in the office.

Still half-asleep, she takes a good look around. “Hmm? Felix?”

No response.

Annette sits upright, groggily standing on her feet with the blanket still covering her small body. “Felix?” She calls out in a weak voice, a little unsettled by the vacant space of the office. Hoisting the blanket over her head like a makeshift hoodie, she adorably ventures out.

Waddling around, she pays no mind to the puzzled looks of a few guards passing by.

Once more, Annette calls out to Felix.

_How strange for him to suddenly vanish. _She ponders, mulling it over. Then again, she couldn’t exactly recall what happened last night.

She and Felix had supper in the office, feeding each other with fish.

After that, they went back to work.

And then what?

All of a sudden, she was sprawled on the couch, missing her scheduled morning stroll for the day.

A cluster of voices reaches her ears, all of whom rang with a sense of familiarity.

Annette picks up her pace, turning to another corner. It sounds like it’s coming from the lounge room…

Stepping inside, Annette spots the three childhood friends huddled close at the center, speaking in low mumbles.

“Ah! Is that Annette I see?”

Annette shifts her attention to a tall redhead who greets her with his trademark smirk.

“Sylvain!” She cries, fully wide-awake and chipper as ever. Smiling brightly, she dashes to their direction.

On instinct, Sylvain spreads out his arms, ready to snatch her and give her a hug.

Luckily, Annette was able to pick up his intention and as he moves in for the kill, she quickly ducks her head, easily dodging and rushes forth to get to her main target—

“INGRID!”

Poor Ingrid didn’t have time to process what was happening. One minute, she was conversing animatedly with Felix and her fiance of the next events in motion, and now she’s getting violently tackled into the ground.

“I can’t believe it! Ingrid’s here!” Annette squeals, burying her face happily into her old classmate’s chest.

Ingrid lowers her gaze, eyes widening upon recognizing the bubbly woman. “Annette!”

Annette grins cheekily. “Yup, that’s me!” Removing herself from her friend, she rises up and offers a hand for the latter to take. “How long has it been? Three months?”

Ingrid accepts it quickly, getting back on her feet. “Long enough to make me miss you,” She points out, and was again rewarded with another one of her friend’s bear hugs. Smiling, she directs her gaze at the two men in the background—with one nudging the other teasingly at the blue cape a certain redhead was currently donning.

“Sylvain filled me in on the details,” Ingrid went on, her voice collected and calm, “You and Felix must have a lot on your plate,”

Annette giggles, untangling herself from the female knight and looking up to make eye contact. “True. But I wouldn’t say it’s difficult,” She explains, smiling away, “It sort of reminds me of our workload from the Officer’s Academy, though minus writing essays and tutoring sessions,” A pause. “What about you, Ingrid?”

Ingrid smiles. She raises her right hand and waits for Annette's reaction to unfold.

Instantly, a loud squeal erupts from the short woman, and for the third time that day, Ingrid got another bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, Seiros! Your ring! It’s so big and shiny! It must’ve cost quite a fortune!” Annette exclaims, half-laughing, half-crying, “Congratulations, Ingrid!” Quickly, she whips her head to give the redhead a teary-eyed praise. “You too Sylvain!”

Ingrid laughs, a wave of happiness crashing over her. “Thank you so much, Annette,” And looks up to see Sylvain and Felix approaching them with an equally prideful expression.

With Annette wiping away her tears and retreating back to Felix, Sylvain went to his usual spot next to Ingrid. Intertwining their hands, the couple looks back at their friends.

“Now that that’s settled,” Sylvain began, “It’s time for the order of business,”

“Order of business?” Annette echoes, earning her a sharp nod from Ingrid.

“The reason for our visit,” Ingrid joins in, “It’s in regards of the ceremony in the works,”

Annette straightens her posture, nodding firmly.

Next to her, Felix takes a step back, fully aware of what’s about to happen next.

"As you know, the two of us are to be wed," Sylvain explains and gestures at their locked hands. "Ingrid and I thought about it and it would mean a great deal to us if you, Felix, and the rest of our old friends from the Blue Lions could be at our wedding ceremony,"

Annette grins, clapping. “Oooh! So exciting!” She gushes, unable to contain her excitement. “Have you already planned on where and when this will all take place?”

This time, it was Ingrid's turn to answer. "Actually, yes. For the when we were thinking of making the ceremony at the last week of Pegasus Moon,"

“And where?”

“Garreg Mach Monastery,” Sylvain finishes, giving his bride-to-be a knowing look. “We thought it’d be fitting. Everybody knows where it is, and I’m pretty sure the Professor will be pleased to officiate us. Plus, there’s a built-in cathedral so there’s no way we can pass that opportunity up!”

Annette smiles, already liking the idea. “So, should we both wait for our invitation to show up?”

Again, Sylvain and Ingrid stole glances at each other.

“Actually…” Ingrid trails off, biting her lower lip.

“We’ve been thinking about paying a short visit to His Highness in the capital,” Sylvain starts off, “Three days and two nights in the castle to make preparations,”

“Which brings us to our next important question,” Ingrid comes in, getting serious. “We would like for you and Felix to come with us,”

Annette closes her mouth. Knowing her, she would be quick to jump in and accept wholeheartedly of their request. But what about Felix? She steals a quick glance at the quiet swordsman, curious to know if he’s already got an answer.

“Felix?”

At the call of his name, Felix rotates his head to look at them. Unsurprisingly, all eyes were on him. He sets his sights on Sylvain, then Ingrid, and finally at Annette.

Three versus one vote.

Felix opens his mouth, only to close it again. Dipping his head, he groans, massaging his aching forehead. Even if he were to try and argue, it’s plainly obvious that he was at a major disadvantage.

“So? What’s it gonna be, Felix?”

Once more, Felix made eye contact with Sylvain and Ingrid.

From the corner of his eye, he sees her—and that’s all that matters to him.

Three days at the capital of Fhirdiad...two nights staying in the royal palace...together with Annette.

The very thought of spending a little more quality time with his girlfriend made him feel butterflies.

So long as Felix has her, then what's the harm in going?

**“We leave tomorrow morning,”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read! (I'm so glad I managed to slip in that cute feeding scene, I've always wanted to try writing that one out!)
> 
> The next chapter will officially begin the rollercoaster! Hmm, I wonder who are we going to see at Fhirdiad?
> 
> Please stay tuned for the next update coming soon!
> 
> THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING READERS:
> 
> CrimeAndPunishment, Pikachu24Fan, Enilda_1201, MelancholicPallete, Eternal_Refrain, Mary1449, Nette97, ruroeroori, writesbyaer,
> 
> THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS/KUDOS! Your support means a whole lot and is very appreciated!
> 
> I'll do my best to keep writing the best content possible!
> 
> Until next time!


End file.
